NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday he was "extremely disappointed and embarrassed" by comments made by Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis about dogfighting, The Washington Post reported.
On Monday, Portis, asked about the investigation into an alleged dogfighting ring at a home then owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, ridiculed authorities for pursuing possible charges. Tuesday, both Portis and Redskins offensive tackle Chris Samuels apologized for their comments, and the Redskins also apologized as an organization.
Goodell, in a written statement, criticized Portis' statements.
"I'm extremely disappointed and embarrassed for Clinton Portis," he said, according to the Post. "This does not reflect the sentiments of the Redskins, the NFL or NFL players."
During the interview on WAVY-TV in Norfolk, Va., Portis and Samuels giggled and laughed frequently as they defended Vick, who has been under investigation since a police raid at one of his houses discovered dozens of dogs and items associated with dog fighting. No charges have been filed.
"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not," Portis said in the interview. "But it's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it."
Portis, a native of Laurel, Miss., added: "I know a lot of back roads that got a dog fight if you want to go see it. But they're not bothering those people because those people are not big names. I'm sure there's some police got some dogs that are fighting them, some judges got dogs and everything else."
In the segment, Portis said that Vick would be put "behind bars for no reason" if the Atlanta Falcons quarterback were charged and convicted for dog fighting. Samuels laughed during much of the interview.
"The Washington Redskins, as an organization, obviously would never condone anything related to animal cruelty," the team's statement said Tuesday. "The team takes the recent comments of Clinton Portis very seriously and apologizes to everyone that was offended."
It was the second statement in two days from the Redskins over the dog fighting flap. Late Monday, the team released a statement on behalf of Portis in which the running back said: "I want to make it clear I do not take part in dog fighting or condone dog fighting in any manner."
I agree that Portis made a mistake and shouldn't have made those comments. I don't agree with how a lot of people are crying over his comments. We all say some things that we shouldn't have said but thanks to the media, they keep replaying CP's comments over and over again because they have nothing better to report. By the time mini-camp starts, this will be a forgotten issue. People are tooooooo darn sensitive nowadays!!!!!!
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