The recent succession of domestic violence incidents that have exposed the NFL's inability to adequately address the matters is nothing new, according to former Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo.

In an interview with USA Today, Angelo, who spent 30 years as an executive in the league, claims NFL teams failed to take appropriate action in "hundreds and hundreds" of domestic violence matters. He even cited his own shortcomings.
"I made a mistake," said Angelo, who was the Bears GM from 2001 to 2011. "I was human. I was part of it. I'm not proud of it.

"We knew it was wrong. ...For whatever reason, it just kind of got glossed over. I'm no psychiatrist, so I can't really get into what that part of it is. I'm just telling you how I was. I've got to look at myself first. And I was part of that, but I didn't stand alone."

Chicago Bears officials responded quickly to Angelo's comments. In a statement the team said: "We were surprised by Jerry's comments and do not know what he is referring to."

Former Bears head coach Mike Ditka responded harshly to Angelo's revelation, calling it "gutless," according to ESPN.com.

"If you didn't do anything while you were running the team, then shut up," said Ditka, who is now an NFL analyst with ESPN. "Don't live in the past."