Two weeks before Jim Irsay's arrest, a woman named Kimberly Wundrum died of a suspected drug overdose at a townhouse given to her by Irsay last August.

"The NFL is often criticized for protecting the 'shield,' and it does," said Mike Gilleran, executive director of the Santa Clara University Institute of Sports Law and Ethics. "How does the league look if it ignores that? It can't, in my view."

The Star adds: "The source familiar with NFL operations told the Starthe league likely would want to look at anything that could shed further light on Irsay's drug use and associations: How long has he been abusing prescription drugs? Is he using other illegal drugs? Who was he getting the drugs from? Who was he using them with?"