Photo Credit: Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
The NFL has been dominating headlines, but it is for everything except actual play on the field. Between the release of the video showing Ray Rice striking his then fiancé to pictures being released of injuries inflicted on Adrian Peterson’s son, the NFL has taken a beating in the press. Worse than these acts of violence, the NFL and teams not stepping up to show that there is no place for this type of behavior in the National Football League.
Goodell and the NFL think by hiring domestic violence “advisors” that suddenly something will change. However, if the NFL cannot see for itself that beating the woman you love or a defenseless child, that in itself is a true tragedy and real problem. You do not have to be a women to realize that putting your hands on your wife/partner is wrong.
Now, with sponsors distancing themselves, the time is now for the NFL to take a real stance against violence off the field. Losing money is the only way to force the NFL’s hand as sad as it sounds. Owners might finally come to realize there are issues bigger than winning.
The Vikings reinstated Peterson after benching him for one week. He was expected to play this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints like nothing had ever happened. However, after Radisson pulled its sponsorship, the team made the decision to put their star running back on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list. Shortly after the team’s decision, the Carolina Panthers followed suit and placed defensive end Greg Hardy on the same list. Hardy was convicted of domestic violence, yet still allowed to play in week one. The Panthers used the justification of Hardy’s appeal as enough reason to keep him on the active roster. Both players will still be paid their full salary despite not playing.
Roger Goodell finally emerged after not being seen since he announced that he had not seen the video showing Ray Rice assaulting his then fiancé in an Atlantic City hotel. Today, he emerged and gave a press conference talking about the future of the NFL. Well, it would have went better if he said nothing. Instead he tried to blame everyone else for his shortcomings, including blaming law enforcement for him not seeing the elevator video. Despite multiple accounts saying the video was accessible immediately after it happened. Now news is coming forward that the Ravens were made aware of the assault hours after it happened yet chose to keep Rice on the team.
He dodged reporter’s questions and refused to give any new details on how to eradicate child and domestic abuse. Worst of all, he did not even appear genuinely outraged that there needs to be a press conference to address this. So now where do we go? San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald will play this weekend so all this “tough” talk goes out the window on Sunday.
There is no zero tolerance policy. There is only punishment when profits are being affected. Goodell himself said he hopes to have everything fixed by the Super Bowl, yes the Super Bowl that does not happen until February. So is the NFL just hoping this all blows over and we all forget about this? We can’t. We cannot let this slide under the rug and continue to have women suffer in silence.
