Rauner, Part Owner of the Steelers, Won't Weigh in on Abuse Scandals

Illinois Governor Candidate Bruce Rauner became a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, which means he in part employs embattled NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Rauner, however, wants no part of the domestic abuse mess currently bedeviling the National Football League, and he declined to take questions. 

The candidate Wednesday was asked to comment on his thoughts about Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee in an elevator, Adrian Peterson allegedly using a switch to beat his 4-year-old son, or Greg Hardy assaulting his girlfriend and threatening to kill her.

"I am working here in Illinois to win an election and transform our government for the people of Illinois," Rauner said when asked if he had reached out for information on how the league was handling the spate of abuse reports. 

Rauner is also a minority owner of the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics. 

Update: the Rauner campaign emailed a statement about the NFL's abuse scandal about four hours after he declined to comment at a press conference Q&A session. 

"Bruce thinks what Ray Rice did is deplorable and the NFL has badly mishandled the situation. As a husband and father of four daughters, Bruce stands for women's health and safety everyday. Sadly, Pat Quinn has done just the opposite and cut funding for domestic violence shelters by nearly 15 percent. That never should have happened, but Pat Quinn was too busy funneling millions into his own political slush fund that is now the subject of two federal grand jury investigations." - Rauner spokesperson Lyndsey Walters

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