The NFL has found itself in hot water yet again after public scrutiny has blasted the organization for its handling of domestic violence cases involving players.
Every week it seems more cases of NFL players involved in domestic violence, child abuse and other charges are surfacing and facing public criticism. However, the NFL is taking the brunt of the blame, acting as a weak shield for the player’s personal choices.
There’s no dispute: The crimes that have been committed are horrid. These players face charges, arrests, questioning, investigations carried out by the nation’s criminal justice system. This system does not filter NFL superstars from everyday Joes; they don’t receive special treatment, and their mug shots aren’t photoshopped to make their crimes seem less significant.
All of these arrests are public records, which have been in the system since the day handcuffs were placed. Their crimes are not a secret from the wandering eyes of the public. Yet a greater portion of the nation is quick to shame the league for their “mishandling” of punishing these players.
In the police reports, do they blame the NFL for not preventing the crime? No. And the public should stop pretending the league has any control over their player’s personal lives or any place to limit their behavior off of the field.
“Since when did the National Football League become the nation's criminal justice organization? Do I want Roger Goodell to be judge, jury and executioner?” Ralph Acevedo of New York Daily News asked.
What right does the NFL have to lay out rules of day-to-day life for their players? Even if they did, these rules would be a spitting image of the laws that are already in place today for our greater society, ones for which, unfortunately, people (some who happen to be NFL players) break and are punished.
These players work for the NFL and are in a constant environment of aggression. If they are unable to separate their work from their social responsibilities, the problem should be addressed by the proper authorities, like public safety figures or counselors.
“(Adrian) Peterson, along with (Ray) Rice, should be banished from football forever. Anyone who abuses a little child is the absolute worst of the worst and deserves not a scintilla of sympathy from anyone,” Barbara Woltz said in a letter to The Arizona Republic.
Public opinion agrees: Any kind of abuse is wrong. But why are we hoping the NFL can do the job of trained policemen and lawyers?
The job is a different atmosphere than most nine-to-five occupations and the NFL should — and probably does — explicitly state there must be a line of separation. But it is not the NFL’s, nor any other employer’s, responsibility to make sure their workers are law-abiding citizens.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference promising change in the way the league handles domestic violence crimes. Players, old and new, were not impressed by the “excuses” they felt Goodell brought forward.
Yet, if we are going down this twisted road of blaming the NFL, where is the accountability in the league all together? He is certainly not the only person with a small slice of authority in the NFL; he just happens to be the current punching bag of choice.
All of this criticism of the league’s potential ethics has taken away from the real issue: the crimes. These people, regardless that they are players, have committed crimes that plague society on a larger level. Domestic violence is a crime that is not, and should not, be taken lightly.
“We call on all of the NFL.’s sponsors to take a stand against domestic violence by withdrawing their support for the NFL until Goodell is out of office,” Nita Chaudhary, a founder of UltraViolet, a women’s rights advocacy group, said.
But the problem with this statement is the NFL does not support domestic violence. Viewers who enjoy the game from home or in the stadium don’t go for the motive of supporting domestic violence.
We need to separate the shiny title these players happen to carry with them if we are going to get upset about crime. Crime is crime, celebrity or otherwise. The NFL doesn't train criminals and they will punish the players who do not meet their expectations as they see fit by their own standards.
Reach the columnist at rsmouse@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @BeccaSmouse
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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