In a statement, Giants President & CEO John Mara and Steelers President Art Rooney II, who oversaw the Mueller Report, said: "This matter has tarnished the reputation of the NFL due to our failure to hand out proper punishments. It has been a wake-up call to all involved and we expect the changes that have been made will lead to improvements in how any similar issues are handled in the future. It is clear to us that Commissioner Goodell was forthright in the statements he made to the owners about this matter, and we have every confidence that Roger Goodell is the right person to lead the league as we move forward" (THE DAILY).
ESPN’s Mark Dominik said, “I've been through these investigations. I know that they’re very thorough and I am sure that they came out with the findings that are correct because these are the facts that came through.” USA Today's Jarrett Bell added, “You wonder if this will really change what you thought or what anyone at home thought about what happened.” Bell: “Goodell skates a bit on this in terms of what he said publicly.” Dominik added, “The investigator said the league office should have done a lot more. … Everybody needed to hear that and they needed to say that. The other thing that you see there is that the clubs need to do a better job of securing information so that the whole National Football League doesn't look bad” (“NFL Insiders,” ESPN, 1/8).
The Toronto Star’s Bruce Arthur tweeted, “So Robert Mueller criticizes the NFL on Rice, but doesn't find anything that actually shows a cover-up. I think that's the sweet spot.” ESPN’s Bill Simmons: “The Mueller Report chronicles a heroic 7-month effort by the NFL to desperately avoid figuring out what may have happened in the elevator.” SI’s Don Banks: “AP source is lying about having vocal confirmation of video arriving in NFL office? That's what Mueller report is in essence saying, right?”
