When Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was initially suspended for two games as a result of punching his then fiancé and now wife Janay Palmer, there was an overwhelming amount of outrage that the punishment was not harsh, and deservingly so. The truth is, Roger Goodell has never handed down a suspension longer than that for a domestic violence related offense since he became commissioner of the National Football League in 2006.
Goodell’s handling of domestic violence cases in the past is appalling. According to the website Sidespin, there have been 56 cases of domestic violence committed by players since Goodell took over as commissioner. In just one of those cases, the player was suspended for the entire season. That suspension was handed down by the player’s team, not Goodell and the National Football League. Absolutely no action whatsoever was taken by Goodell and the league in nearly 36 of those 56 domestic violence. Suspensions that were handed down were for the most part, one game. On a handful of occasions, two game suspensions were given by the NFL.
It is obvious to me, based on the treatment of pro football players who commit domestic violence, that commissioner Goodell and the NFL do not take it as a serious offense and that punishment for those players who are violent against women shouldn’t be severe. Let us be clear, men can also be victims of domestic abuse however that is not the case in any incident involving an NFL player. Players who are caught smoking marijuana, using performance enhancing drugs or even excessively celebrating a play in a game receive unprecedented and outlandish punishments that are much more severe than any punishments imposed by the league for a player committing domestic abuse.
I am not condoning using illicit drugs or PED’s however, there is no reason why Goodell should suspend a player, such as Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker four games for allegedly taking Adderall but only suspend a player who punches a woman, such as Ray Rice, a whooping two games. This is baffling to me because I was taught from a very young age that striking a woman is completely wrong and unacceptable no matter what the circumstances are however it appears to me that the National Football League took a difference stance.
As the 2014 NFL season kicked off, Rice was expected to return to the field after the Ravens played their first two regular season games against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers despite the growing amount of media coverage and the . However, a few days after their week one loss against the Bengals, TMZsports.com released a shocking and frankly disgusting video that showed Rice punching and knocking out his now wife, Janay Palmer, in an elevator of the Revel Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J.
Before this video was leaked just days after the start of the new NFL season, we had only seen surveillance camera video that was released several months ago, showing Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of the elevator. Because the video was so horrifying, the NFL couldn’t ignore it and finally suspended Rice indefinitely which was immediately followed by the Baltimore Ravens kicking him off the team. I hope most people with knowledge of this case would side with me when I say the criminal investigation against Rice should have immediately triggered an indefinite suspension from the NFL and dismissal from the Ravens. The only reason Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely because actual video of Rice punching Palmer was leaked to the public and not to mention, the league has been under enormous scrutiny due to this and other violence related issues by various NFL players such as Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers and Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers
Moreover, according to ESPN’s Outside the Lines, three current or former security employees of the Revel hotel stated they watched the incident take place on security cameras from an operation room. These unnamed employees went on to describe how Ray Rice spat in the face of Janay Palmer “once outside the elevator and once inside” which prompted her to make movements toward Rice that he then responded to with a knockout punch. No matter what events took place before Ray Rice responded with that knockout punch, there is nothing that justifies Palmer, or any other woman, getting assaulted.
Fans of the Baltimore Ravens have had mixed reactions to this situation involving Ray Rice.
John, a Ravens fan from Shepherdstown, told me “I know what Ray Rice did is wrong and I don’t agree with it but I still support him. That’s my man.”
Another fan of the team told me “I can’t believe Ray Rice did what he did. He never should be allowed to play in the NFL again. He should be in jail.”
It is hard to imagine why this man was not sent to jail for an assault that all of America saw on video however, the justice system actually ran its course. On May 1st, Rice pleaded not guilty to the charge of aggravated assault and applied to be admitted into a pretrial intervention program. A few weeks later he has accepted into that program and avoided any prosecution. This deal that Rice struck with the prosecution stated the offence would be expunged from his criminal record and he would not face any jail time as long as he completed this so-called intervention program. Simply put, his punishment for punching his wife Palmer is a slap on the wrist and a ‘do not do it again’.
On the other hand, this insufficient punishment to members of society who break the law but hold a high status in society should not be that surprising to us. We all know that if you are a famous and wealthy person or otherwise have a high status in society, your chances of being prosecuted and punished by the American justice system are significantly lower than the average member of society. Also, Palmer unfortunately did not want to press charges against her husband and she did not cooperate with law enforcement as they investigated this incident. However, this is sadly a common occurrence in cases of domestic violence.
Even though they have been they for some time, this situation has made the calls for Roger Goodell to lose his job as commissioner even louder and rightly so. Last week, the National Organization for Women even called for Goodell to resign. Now significant amounts of fans and non-fans, members of the media and NFL players have begun calling for Goodell to be removed from his position as commissioner.
I would argue, Goodell should most certainly resign or be fired because of his clear disregard for the issue of domestic violence in his league especially when he has always taken a heavy-handed and controlling stance on all other issues and problems that have plagued the National Football League, from Michael Vick to the NPaew Orleans Saints bounty scandal.Shortly after the video of Ray Rice punching Janay lmer in an elevator was released, Roger Goodell said in an interview with CBS News that he had not seen or had any knowledge of the elevator video until it was released by TMZsports.com several days prior.
However, shortly after he made those statements the Associated Press reported a law enforcement official that was involved with the case said the NFL offices were sent a copy of the video showing Rice striking Palmer in the Revel Hotel elevator nearly five months ago. This law enforcement official reportedly also provided a voicemail which was left by a woman who stated she worked for the NFL. In it, this woman can be heard confirming the video had arrived and she goes on to say: “Your right. It’s terrible.”
I believe this Associated Press report to be true. If law enforcement officials had the video showing Rice punch Palmer in the elevator, then the NFL most certainly had a copy of it in their possession as well and as a result, Goodell would have been made aware of it but still only decided a two game suspension was appropriate. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that Goodell is going anywhere for the time being. The only people that can fire him are the 32 team owners and it appears they have no interest in getting rid of him. Goodell makes NFL owners a lot of money. During his time as commissioner, Goodell has grown the league’s popularity and worth exponentially.
For example, in 2006, the year Goodell took over as commissioner, the Washington Redskins were worth $1.4 billion according to Forbes magazine. Today, the Redskins are now worth nearly $2.5 billion. It’s all about the money for these owners and as long as they are raking in the money, Goodell will be a suitable commissioner for them. Whether Goodell stays or goes, it is time for the NFL to put an end to tolerating domestic violence in their league. They have instituted new suspension rules for players who engage in domestic violence however the league also needs to use their influence to try to bring attention to the problem of domestic violence in this country. Here’s an idea. How about making players wear purple equipment and purple ribbons to bring awareness to domestic violence as they do in October to bring awareness to breast cancer? It’s a small step the NFL can take to show they are recognizing the problem of domestic violence and they are using their influence to try to prevent it.
Leave a Reply