Troy Vincent breaks down during Senate hearing on domestic violence (VIDEO)

While speaking Tuesday in front of a U.S. Senate committee, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, broke down while talking about his own childhood experiences witnessing domestic violence firsthand in his home.

NFL VP Troy Vincent choked up at a Senate hearing on domestic violence while discussing his own experience: http://t.co/DHrtfOfGgo
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 3, 2014

The former NFL player of 15 years tearfully recalled his past:

Domestic violence was a way of life in my home growing up. As young boys, my brother and I watched helplessly numerous times as our mother was beaten, and we called 911 while she lay unconscious.

We saw how she struggled to seek help, and find the voice and courage to say “no more.” The sense of fear, powerlessness, and all the complexities that accompany this violence remain very real for me today.

I have worked for over 20 years as an advocate against domestic violence to try to help keep others from experiencing this pain. So I very much relate to the more than 12 million victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in every community in this nation, amongst every economic class and racial and ethnic group.

This is not an issue limited to the NFL, or to professional sports.

Vincent went on to outline the league's intent to change their handling of domestic violence and sexual assault cases with the following:

The NFL intends to create a “Conduct Committee of Owners” who will be responsible for regularly reviewing and recommending changes to the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

The league is creating a “comprehensive and mandatory education program for the more than 5,000 men and women in the NFL family.”

The NFL already has a Critical Response Team that Vincent said offers support for “anyone in the NFL family.” The team, though, will be retrained to handle issues of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The NFL is also “supporting” organizations that focus on issues of domestic violence and sexual assault, although Vincent did not explicitly say if that support is financial.

The league is also promoting programs that “develop the character of young people” in an attempt to help educate coaches and players at the college, high school, and youth level.

Here's the full statement:

Ray Rice is most added player in fantasy football leagues after NFL reinstatement: Report

NFL owners may be reluctant to add Ray Rice to their teams, but fantasy owners appear to be more forgiving when it comes to helping out their teams.

Not surprisingly, after the former Ravens running back was reinstated by the NFL on Friday, fantasy owners — who won't have to worry about a public relations nightmare by picking up the disgraced running back —wasted no time in adding Rice to their teams as many begin their final playoff push.

The Yahoo! transaction trends page shows Rice has been added to 201, 968 teams as of 7 p.m. Friday.

That dwarfs the next most added player, Vikings running back Matt Asiata, who has been added to 20,277 teams.

Rice is still without a real NFL team and it may be difficult for the 27-year-old find an organization willing to take a player with all the excess scrutiny he'll surely attract.

But that doesn't mean NFL teams won't follow the fantasy owners lead.

Eminem references Ray Rice punching wife in rap song (VIDEO)

In a shocking new video, rapper Eminem fantasizes about assaulting pop star Lana Del Rey in a freestyle rap for his greatest hits compilation and, in the same line, he refers to disgraced Baltimore Ravens NFL player, Ray Rice — who was caught on camera knocking out his girlfriend and dragging her limp body out of an elevator — to describe the scene.

"But I may fight for gay rights, especially if the [bleep] is more of a knockout than Janay Rice.

Play nice? ...  I'll punch Lana Del Rey right in the face twice," Eminem raps in the video.

"Like Ray Rice in broad daylight in the plain sight of the elevator surveillance. 'Til her head is banging on the railing, then celebrate with the Ravens."

Here's the video. The Rice lyrics begin about 3:55. WARNING: Extreme profanity and obscenity.

The rapper's lyrics opened up the Twitter floodgates with everyone from angry Lana Del Rey fans to Eminem fans who found nothing wrong.

Shocking that Eminem, who made a name for himself as a violent misogynist rapper, is again in the news for being a violent misogynist rapper
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) November 11, 2014

Eminem is literally a god, if you haven't watched the new shady cypher you are trippin the greatest rapper to ever live past and present
— RonnieRadke (@RonnieRadke) November 11, 2014

The video was released just a day before news broke that Rice would end his silence on the incident and do an interview with Matt Lauer on the "Today" show.