The NFL: forgive and forget

Domestic violence in the sports world is no longer a rare occurrence, new cases seem to crop up almost every week nowadays. The NFL, a hotbed for domestic-violence cases, has become more and more lenient in giving punishment to their players. Not only is this unfair and unjust, but it has enabled the NFL to bypass so many new cases and let crimes simply slip under the rug. A terrible precedent is being created and to be frank; stronger enforcement is imperative if the NFL wants to establish a positive reputation..

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the video of Ray Rice savagely attacking his wife in an elevator last year. You’ve also probably seen the reports of Adrian Peterson beating his own son with a tree branch, also last year. Two of the league’s most prominent running backs involved in such horrific acts turned several heads and continues to be a debated subject. This is also because of the very questionable way that Goodell (commissioner of the NFL) and the league handled the situations, mainly Rice’s.

Rice was suspended for two games prior to the extremely incriminating video of him being released. But after its release, Goodell attempted to rectify the situation by suspending him indefinitely. Why the lack of proactivity? Because the NFL’s domestic violence policies are in shambles and a defined system was hardly in place. Goodell then proceeded to suspend Tom Brady for four games because of a deflated football. See the lack of reason here?

In 2012, New York Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas was accused of punching his wife in the stomach and pushing her with a chair. Despite being charged in late October, he played the rest of the season (6 games).

In 2008,  Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker James Harrison was accused of beating his girlfriend as she attempted to call 911 on him. He smashed her cell phone and her glasses as well as breaking down the door to a bedroom. However, within two weeks of Harrison’s case, Pittsburgh Steelers backup wide receiver, Cedrick Wilson was accused of punching his wife at a restaurant. Harrison played the rest of the season and the assault charge was eventually dropped. Meanwhile, Wilson was cut by the team the next day and never played another NFL game. Such cases really highlight how star-power also affects the court system in the NFL and how corrupt it has become.

Just this past weekend Deadspin released a story including quotes from and pictures of a bruised and battered Nicole Holder, former girlfriend of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy.  In 2014 he was accused of beating Holder, and faced a 10-game suspension.  After Holder failed to testify at his trial, Hardy served no jail time. He also appealed his suspension, and it was reduced to four games. The Cowboys signed him to a one-year deal and he is back on the field.

Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are facing scrutiny, but are standing by their decision to support Hardy. Jones released a statement to the press saying, “We have given Greg a second chance. He is a member of our team and someone who is grateful for the opportunity he has been given to move forward with his life and his career.”

The NFL has been very, very forgiving over the course of the past decade or so. Players  continue to play in the league even after committing such heinous actions.

This is unacceptable.

Players involved in any sort of domestic violence case should be banned immediately, not suspended for a few games only to be reinstated having learned nothing. Obviously they can be reinstated if they are found not guilty, but until they are, they deserve an immediate ban. Players should also be banned until they can prove that they have changed and have participated in programs to make them better. Not only would this make the league a safer and more respected organization, but it would establish some sort of continuity in the punishments handed out to its athletes. And if Goodell needs one thing right now, it’s continuity.

Second chances are important, in fact they gives athletes an incentive to strive to get better in the hopes of another shot at playing again. But the NFL must understand that it cannot continue this never-ending game. Players need to be punished far more severely than they are now, for the sake of the NFL’s reputation. Banning those who commit even one case of domestic violence will send a message and hopefully set a new precedent in the league: that domestic violence will simply not be tolerated, case closed.