Roger Goodell continues to have strong support from the NFL's 32 owners, but they are prepared to act if an investigation by Robert S. Mueller III shows he is guilty of willful and egregious misconduct on the handling of the Ray Rice case.

“He’s been a very good commissioner and he’s done great things for the league,” a high-ranking executive with one NFL team said. “The presumption is that he’s telling the truth and the investigation will demonstrate that. We’ll go by the report [generated by Mueller’s investigation]. If the report says something different, we’ll take the appropriate action.”

An official with another NFL team who had been briefed on the views of the owner of his franchise said of that owner: “He supports the commissioner.” Asked what it would take for that owner’s support of Goodell to be withdrawn, the official said: “If the investigation concludes that the commissioner saw more and knew more than he has said, and he was not truthful about that to the clubs, things would change.”