DoD Asks Itself if It Has Ties to NFL Violence

This is not an Onion headline.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has asked for an accounting of the Defense Department's ties to the National Football League, the Pentagon said Friday, as the Obama administration leans on the NFL over its handling of players' alleged domestic violence.

Hagel's request is not a formal "review" or "investigation" of the Pentagon's ties to pro football, said Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby. But, in describing it, he did take the opportunity to make clear that the department has its eye on the league.

"Secretary Hagel, just like every leader in this building, is monitoring the situation ongoing with the NFL," Kirby said. "We have high expectations of ourselves and our own behavior and our conduct, and we have high expectations of the organizations with whom we partner, with whom we work."