The NFL has experienced arguably its worst week ever when it comes to criminal activity, mostly surrounding the issue of domestic violence.

Back in February, video surfaced that showed Baltimore Ravens Pro-Bowl tailback Ray Rice dragging his then fiancé from an elevator in a casino in Atlantic City, NJ.  The NFL immediately responded suspending Rice for the first two games of the season, however, this was just the beginning.

This past Monday, TMZ leaked footage of what happened inside the elevator earlier this year.  The footage was extremely graphic and showed Rice punching  and knocking her out.  The Ravens then proceeded to release Rice later that afternoon and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated that Rice would be suspended indefinitely.

Commissioner Goodell also denied that he nor NFL representatives had previously seen the video.

On Friday things got even more interesting when the NFL’s top running back, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, turned himself in to authorities in Texas on charges of child abuse.  He was later released when he posted $15k bail. Peterson is being accused of disciplining his son with a stick. Peterson said it was “a form of punishment” and that is what had happened to him.  Immediately the Vikings deactivated Peterson for this past Sunday’s game against the Patriots.  Late Monday night, reports surfaced that Peterson was accused of abusing another son of his, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Another inactive player this past week due to domestic violence was Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy who was convicted back in July on charges of assaulting a female.  He allegedly is accused of throwing his girlfriend on a bed covered in guns and threatening to shoot her.  Hardy played Week one in Tampa Bay even though he was convicted back in July.  Panthers coach Ron Rivera said that Hardy was benched week two because “the climate (in the NFL) has changed.” Hardy’s status for week three is yet to be determined.

One other case which is still very much in question is the case of San Francisco 49er’s Defensive Tackle Ray McDonald. McDonald who was arrested back in August on felony domestic violence charges after his fiancée accused him of abuse. Although being accused of domestic violence, McDonald has started both games for the 49ers. The 49ers CEO Jed York has said that “he will let due process take its course” before deciding to discipline McDonald after his arrest.

While the NFL players have been headliners over the past few weeks, the league offices are dealing with their share of issues especially with regard to the Ray Rice investigation.

On Wednesday September 10 the Associated Press (AP) found out from a source in law enforcement who handled the Rice case said that the video of Rice and his fiancé in the elevator was sent to an NFL executive. In addition, the AP was able to attain a voicemail from a representative in the NFL saying “You’re right, it’s terrible,” with regards to the footage. Goodell denied these reports and that has led to an investigation which is to be headed by former FBI director Robert Mueller.

People have questioned the NFL’s reaction and actions on all these issues and specifically regarding the absence of commissioner Goodell over these past few weeks.