The NFL Assault

It’s no secret that the NFL has its fair share of problems with its players, owners and coaches alike. Suspensions are being handed out left, right and centre, racism within the Miami Dolphins hit the headlines last season, an owner is currently being sued for sexual assault and a former player is currently awaiting trial for murder.

Some of these things are becoming fairly normal. It’s hardly a surprise to hear about a player being issued with a DUI but the NFL is usually great at handling these cases. The bans are usually fair (unless your name is Josh Gordon) but they really dropped the ball (no pun intended) on one in particular; you probably already know I’m referring to Ray Rice here so I won’t elaborate.

Despite the events that took place in the elevator being caught on tape – and being ridiculously obvious – the NFL originally issued now former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice with a 2 game ban. That’s just half of the majority of suspensions currently being handed out to players who violate the NFL’s drug policy.

It’s not my gender that is causing me to feel insulted by the NFL’s ignorance, it’s the fact I am a victim of domestic abuse and struggle on a daily basis with other people’s opinions on the matter. In the days that followed TMZ releasing the full video of Ray Rice knocking Janay Rice unconscious countless Facebook statuses and tweets have surfaced questioning the victims of domestic abuse. It’s clear that domestic abuse and violence are not taken seriously as crimes yet and some people still fail to understand how damaging it can be to the victim.

The NFL really didn’t help matters when it came to handling the Ray Rice situation. Commissioner Goodell is now claiming he didn’t pursue the case out of respect for Janay Rice but let’s face it, he dug himself into a deep hole and is desperately trying to claw his way out. Personally I feel like not pursuing the case is disrespectful to anyone who has suffered and is currently suffering through an abusive relationship. It suggests that the victims don’t matter and the emotional and mental turmoil isn’t worth discussing.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand why the NFL and the Ravens refrained from taking the assault or suspension further. At the end of the day, the teams want to win and in order to do that they need every great player they can get. Removing Ray Rice entirely from the roster affects the Ravens so, to some degree, I understand their reluctance to do so. If there wasn’t such a public backlash I imagine Ray Rice would’ve been playing next Sunday against the Cleveland Browns and fans would have continued to cheer for him.

This debacle will not stop me from being a fan of the NFL – I couldn’t abandon the Chargers this close to the Seahawks game – but their inability to handle domestic abuse cases worries me. Despite the fact the rules have now changed to a 6 game ban for a first domestic or sexual assault (why it’s only 6 games and not a full ban for sexual assault is beyond me) and a lifetime ban for any more assaults I’m still apprehensive.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his pregnant fiancée shortly after the new rules were brought into place so it will be interesting to see what happens. The investigation into the claims made against Ray McDonald have been postponed until next week and, despite head coach Jim Harbaugh’s zero tolerance policy, Ray McDonald will continue to play for the 49ers until a verdict is reached. He remains innocent until proven guilty but, if found guilty, I hope to god the NFL sticks with their new found policy and continues to do so in other cases. It’s really the only possible way they can redeem themselves in my eyes.