The Baltimore Ravens sport the colors of blue and purple. Ironically enough, this just happens to describe the NFL on September 8th, 2014. A black eye. A black eye for the League, the Ravens, sports fans, and maybe even America. The NFL prides itself on being an organization that has always prided itself on being a professional group since 1892, but they are not very prideful today. They should be ashamed.
All this is due to a literal black eye for Janay Palmer, the now wife of Ray Rice, NFL running back as of yesterday. Today's he jobless. If you're not familiar with the incident I'm describing, let me fill you in. On February 15 of this year, Rice and his then fiancee Palmer were partying in Atlantic City when tempers flared, leaving Rice's fiance unconscious in an elevator. I just have one question: is this okay? Is domestic violence now deemed acceptable if you can play football and can afford a good lawyer? After questions were raised on the details and Rice was released (he hasn't faced a day of jail time by the way), the Baltimore coaching staff, general manager, owner, and fan base immediately sided with Rice, even giving him a standing ovation at their most recent preseason game. Was I supposed to feel bad for Ray Rice?
The NFL answered with a suspension of a mere 2 games. That's it. Remember our beloved hero Michael Vick? He spent considerable jail time in a federal penitentiary and was kicked out of the NFL for years. Other players have been caught with drugs and even convicted of involuntary DUI manslaughter (look up Donte Stalworth) and faced much less harsher punishments. Now I'm not trying to say what those players did was acceptable. Actually I'm saying quite the opposite. Let the punishment fit the crime. Ray Rice was caught on camera committing a domestic violence crime most would say is horrid. The immediate result as I mentioned earlier was a small suspension. The only reason he is now indefinitely barred from playing today is because TMZ released a new video of the incident taking place in the elevator. I encourage everyone to research this if you haven't already. In the end it looks like the NFL did the right thing, but it occurred only when their hands were tied behind their backs. That's not right.
I hope everyone involved in this situation can learn from their mistakes and read the writing on the wall. Or in this case the elevator.
I love football. I don't condone domestic violence. Get it together guys.
Great points! I am an avid NFL fan myself, but I was pretty ashamed to be a fan today. To think that Rice only received a 2 game suspension for slugging his wife while other players like Gordon are out for the season for pot use. Sometimes the NFL really seems like they have their policies backwards and I am hoping that they get the ball moving in a different direction for future seasons.
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