New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended embattled NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday, arguing that he should keep his job.
“We have to be a society that considers the totality of somebody’s work, and their life. I know Roger to be a great husband and wonderful father to his two daughters,” Mr. Christie said in a radio interview on NJ 101.5. “In my mind, if I were an NFL owner, I’d be voting to keep Roger Goodell.”
The commissioner has been under fire for his handling of the Ray Rice case that made national headlines recently. Mr. Goodell suspended the former Baltimore Ravens running back two games in July for hitting his then-fiancee in an elevator in Atlantic City in February, but the outcry grew louder when video footage released earlier this month showed him striking the woman and dragging her unconscious body out of the elevator.
Mr. Rice was subsequently released by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the NFL. But Mr. Goodell was lambasted by many for initially issuing such a lenient suspension, with several lawmakers calling for his resignation.
“I think the way the NFL handled this was awful. It was outrageous,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Democrat, told CBS on Sunday. “They had all the facts they needed. They had a player who admitted to beating his wife. They had video of him dragging her out an elevator. There was nothing left to determine. That player should’ve been fired immediately.”
But Mr. Christie expressed sympathy for Mr. Goodell and said he would continue to support him.
“He’s an outstanding man, an honest man in my interaction with him,” Christie said. “I absolutely believe Roger Goodell is a good, honest, decent man, that has great integrity. He’s admitted he made a mistake in the Rice case.”
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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