On Wednesday the NFL announced that a former FBI director would investigate how NFL officials and league management handled evidence involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s assault of his wife, Janay Rice, when she was his fiancee.
The move comes after reports that the NFL was sent video footage as far back as April of Ray hitting Janay, knocking her unconscious.
According to the Associated Press, Goodell has hired "Robert S. Mueller III, who was the director of the FBI for a 12-year term, to lead the inquiry." Although the NFL has called the investigation independent, AP notes that the probe will be "overseen" by two of Goodell's biggest supporters: "owners John Mara of the New York Giants and Art Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers."
Muller also currently works for a law firm that has a history with the NFL, including representing Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, AP reports.
According to AP, Mara has already stated that he doesn't think Goodell should lose his job. "My understanding is that the league and the Ravens made repeated requests to obtain the video of the Ray Rice incident and were denied each time," Mara told AP before news reports that the tape may have been sent to league officials in April. "The notion that the league should have gone around law enforcement to obtain the video is, in my opinion, misguided, as is the notion that the commissioner's job is now in jeopardy."
Read more at the Associated Press.