Domestic Violence is one of the most horrific crimes to date, to put your hands on a loved one means you never really loved them and help is needed to expose some of the dangers behind the violence.
After a recent video released by TMZ showing Ray Rice’s brutal attack on his wife, we know what transpired in the elevator, but very little about how the NFL handles domestic violence.
People everywhere are condemning the actions of the NFL and New Jersey Law enforcement in their handling of the situation, and rightly so. These two bodies had preferred to play down the significance of the incident. Their actions have set back whatever gains have been made in the fight against domestic violence, especially in today’s sports world.
Sports is a world heavily based in testosterone. We live in an “alpha- dog society” that believes that in order to be on top, you have to be the biggest, baddest guy on the block. There is simply little tolerance for weakness or sensitivity.
Football is an aggressive contact sport with men hitting each other hard and taking massive amounts of abuse on their bodies. Many players take steroids which has been proven to make the user irritable and more prone to be more abusive towards others.
What their actions have revealed is that the NFL has little regards for victims of crime for that matter.
There are examples of domestic abuse in sports, like Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who was twice accused of sexual assault. On both instances, the case was settled out of court, and Roethlisberger was suspended for a total of six games.
The fact that both these cases were settled out of court says that Roethlisberger had something to hide, and used to his money to cover up his crimes. The NFL allowed
After this past incident, the media caught wind of the league’s weak attempt at punishment, it escalated into media personalities calling for the commissioners head.
The NFL is scrambling under media scrutiny to come up with a solution to their lacking of punishment to domestic violence, they recently came up with the idea of having four female advisors who oversees domestic violence issue. A last ditch effort to appease the loud voices they rightly deserve in their ear.
The NFL’s policy of domestic abuse used to be non-existent. After Rice knocked out his wife in an elevator, public outcry forced them to come up with a solution. Starting on Aug. 28,
2014, the NFL rule imposes a suspension at the first domestic violence offense and a lifetime ban on the second offense.
The fact there was no punishment in place for players when it comes to this issue reflects the NFL’s incompetence as well as its lack of sympathy towards any other human being.
According to “fivethirtyeight.com” a website that collects data on the NFL, 55 percent of the arrests in the league are of domestic violence, higher then any other crime.
It’s about time to take a serious stand on domestic violence.
Domestic abuse is one of the worst crimes in society. Putting your hands on another person means you have no respect for basic human rights.
The lack of empathy from the league is startling considering 45 percent of their viewers are women.
According to the “National Coalition Against Domestic Violence” its been reported yearly that 1.3 million women are victims of domestic abuse.
There is an easy way for the NFL to fix their image when this problem happens again. A suspension for the whole year of games for the player. They would be giving up millions dollars for the crime. Since they are viewed as “role models” by some the courts will have likely given them a light sentencing. Thats where the league steps in and give out their punishment.
