McCaskill says the NFL should let Rihanna make a pregame address about domestic violence. | AP Photos McCaskill to NFL: Let Rihanna talk

Sen. Claire McCaskill on Wednesday encouraged the National Football League to offer music star Rihanna the opportunity to address domestic violence before Thursday night’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons.

Appearing on MSNBC, the Missouri Democrat called for greater action from the NFL, its sponsors and the general public in addressing domestic violence, an issue highlighted by the indefinite suspension of running back Ray Rice and allegations against other players.


CBS pulled a song featuring Rihanna from its football programming last Thursday in an effort to have a more sober and less celebratory backdrop to the game, in light of the domestic violence controversy surrounding the league. After the singer harshly criticized the network for its decision in a series of tweets, CBS said it would be pulling the song for the entirety of the NFL season. In one particular tweet, Rihanna called out CBS by name and said: “F—- you!”

( Also on POLITICO: Maria Cantwell: Bill to hit NFL on taxes)

In Wednesday’s interview, McCaskill said the NFL should respond to the public spat by inviting Rihanna in a pregame address to “point out to women across America that there are domestic violence shelters that can help them in their community.”

McCaskill, a former sex crimes prosecutor, published an op-ed in USA Today a day earlier to highlight the case of Dorial Green-Beckham, a former University of Missouri player dismissed from the program due to allegations of domestic violence.

In her MSNBC interview, she said it was a critical “moment” for the NFL and the U.S. in general in addressing the problem.

“This is a moment in our country, for those of us who have toiled in these fields for decades in terms of domestic violence — whether it’s Judge Mark Fuller in Alabama, Ray Rice, or [Green-Beckham] —it is now time for the sports world in general and every other part of our country to say, ‘You know, we cannot turn a blind eye to this,’” the senator said. Several lawmakers have recently referenced the case of Fuller, a district judge who was arrested August 9 for domestic violence.

( DRIVING THE DAY: NFL controversy arrives at the Hill)

The senator also called on women in particular to put pressure on the NFL and sports leagues across the country to focus on the issue. “It’s on women to begin to vote with their pocketbook on how they’ve been objectified and, frankly, how this problem has not been taken seriously enough,” she said.

Follow @politico