Poll: Scandals haven't affected Americans' football watching
Eighty-six percent of Americans say the recent NFL scandals have not changed the amount of professional football they watch, according to an NBC News/Marist poll.
Also, less than a third of the country believes commissioner Roger Goodell should resign, according to the poll. But 57 percent of people who described themselves as football fans said they disapprove of the NFL's handling of the domestic violence allegations, with more men (55 percent) disapproving than women (50 percent).
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On Friday, ESPN reported that the Ravensnixed coach John Harbaugh's request to cut Ray Rice in February after seeing the video of him dragging his unconscious fiancée out of a casino elevator. The NFL initially suspended Rice two games for the incident.
The 49ers' Ray McDonald, Panthers' Greg Hardy and Cardinals' Jonathan Dwyer have all been in the news for their arrests on domestic violence charges, and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been placed on the inactive list following child abuse allegations.
Eleven percent of those polled said they are less likely to watch pro football after the scandals, and 60 percent of Americans said they believe it is wrong for parents to discipline their children by striking them with a paddle, switch or belt.
Only 34 percent believe that type of corporal punishment is right, but the number jumps to 51 percent among respondents from the south.
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- Chris Mascaro
