Why did it take video evidence going public for the NFL to indefinitely suspend Ravens running back Ray Rice?
When I first heard about the incident involving Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice and his now wife Janay Palmer, I was appalled but not necessarily shocked considering the number of domestic violence episodes that occur between professional athletes and their partners. What is unique about Rice’s case is that video footage surfaced showing his physical attack on his then fiancée. The video is what really fueled the outrage in not only Rice’s actions, but also the way that the NFL initially handled it.
Upon the video’s release, the Ravens dropped Rice immediately, and the NFL upped his punishment from a six-game suspension — which was originally a two-game suspension until commissioner Roger Goodell made modifications to the rule — to an indefinite suspension. The question is, would this have happened had the video not been made public? Unfortunately, I think the answer is no. I believe Rice’s penalty could have very well been left at a six-game suspension, allowing the NFL to get away with not further investigating the crime.
When you think about Rice’s first suspension, which was a lesser penalty had he been caught doing illegal drugs, it also questions the NFL’s priorities when it comes to domestic abuse. As ESPN sports columnist Jemele Hill points out, “You can’t have a league that has an over 40 percent female fan-base and say to them that marijuana use is more important to us than domestic violence.”
There is also speculation that the NFL had in fact known about the full video, however, did not put forth any effort in obtaining the additional video surveillance despite claims that they were aware of Rice’s attorney having access to a copy. The league’s poor judgment sheds light on how they handle issues of this nature. In addition, the Associated Press recently released a statement revealing that law enforcement officials sent the video to an NFL executive five months ago and were notified of its receipt. It seems as though the league was trying to brush it under the rug.
Hill told ABC News, “(T)his is the same NFL that when players are drafted into this league, they know what kind of cereal they had for breakfast. That’s how much homework they do on their players. So you mean to tell me that the NFL couldn’t exercise more influence (in investigating) than TMZ?”
I definitely think that an organization like the NFL, the most successful sports association in the country, has the ability and the resources to dig deeper in regards to obtaining evidence of crimes committed by their players. But when you factor in Rice and the success he has helped the Ravens achieve and in turn all the money he helped put in the pockets of owners and others in the front office, it would make sense for them to do all that they can to make sure Rice is still eligible in some form or fashion so that they do not suffer any financial loss. At the end of the day, this is a business, but does that mean a common code of ethics should be tossed out the window?
Regardless, I think there should be a more solid and structured way for the NFL to deal with these types of issues. Obviously, Rice is not the first professional athlete to commit such a crime, but incorporating video proof introduces new factors that may not have been considered before. Although Rice’s attack was disturbing to watch, I am sure there were worse cases that were, lucky for the offender, not caught on tape. Rice’s punishment should have been the same no matter whether the video surfaced or not. What he did was inexcusable, but a video recording should not be needed in order to prove that, and it definitely should not be needed to help determine a punishment. For instance, what if the attack was not as bad as we thought? Would the NFL then lessen Rice’s punishment? I am interested to see how the NFL proceeds as they conduct their investigation led by former FBI director Robert Mueller and what they decide to do with Rice.
@TheSideline2016
ly688912@ohio.edu
