Wednesday, September 10, 2014

NFL and Ravens Just Don't Get It

A day after the Ravens released Ray Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely as a result of a video that shows Rice cold-cocking his fiancé and knocking her out with one punch, it is clear that the team nor the league gets it. Reading Baltimore owner Steve Biscotti's apology left me shaking my head.

Biscotti, while admitting that the team did not handle the situation properly, still had to say that it was a situation where Rice & his then fiancĂ© were drinking and started hitting each other. Really Steve. Forget the second video. The first video shows an NFL player pulling a woman face down who was unconscious out of an elevator. From that video, Biscotti's team did nothing. In fact, they defended Rice. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he never saw the second video. So what Roger. The bottom line is you blew it and the second video shows that big time. A former Carolina Panther team executive on TSN Drive 1050 Toronto stated that he believed that the NFL underestimated the importance of the issue of domestic violence because it would be the only reason why they wouldn't have seen that second video.  The NFL knows how to conduct a thorough investigation. It's clear that this did not happen in this case.

The NFL and the Baltimore Ravens have given themselves a black eye.  I've yet to hear a major politician speak out and demand that the NFL take immediate action to deal with the issue of domestic violence. The NFL has a considerable amount of influence in our society (too much as far as I'm concerned).  If they took a no tolerance approach and went on a public education campaign about the evils of domestic violence, they could have a significant impact. They could start by combining their Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October with Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Have October be the month where the NFL shows it sensitivity to these issues which impact women. A meaningful effort for the entire month of October in educating the public on breast cancer awareness and domestic violence awareness would go a long way in the NFL rehabilitating itself. It's up to you Mr. Goodell: face the issue head on or bury your head in the sand and hope everyone focuses on their fantasy league. 


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