WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today issued the following statement on the National Football League’s (NFL) adoption of new rules governing the personal conduct of players and league personnel:

“I am pleased that the NFL team owners have chosen to revise and update the league’s policies on personal conduct. This is an important first step in addressing the problem of assault and domestic violence in professional sports. I look forward to reviewing these modifications, and urge the NFL Players Association to work with the league to ensure such acts of violence are addressed swiftly and perpetrators are disciplined appropriately. I intend to continue the Commerce Committee’s examination of the policies of all of the national sports leagues in the next Congress.”

On December 2, 2014, Thune put pressure on the leagues and players unions during a Commerce Committee hearing focused on professional sports and domestic assault, in which he called on the major sports leagues and players associations to update their respective personal conduct policies to address the issue of domestic violence. A full copy of his hearing statement can be found here.

Thune is expected to be the incoming chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has general jurisdiction over sports, including amateur sports and the professional leagues.

 

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