The NFL: Where the Inmates Run the Asylum

Every year, the amount of criminal activities that occur among NFL players grows. This season has sparked the most controversy among criminal activities in a while though courtesy of the incident that occurred way back in February of this year between Ray Rice and his then fiancée (now wife) Janay Palmer.

The NFL continues to become more and more of a joke to me. The way they handle these players that break the law is just plain ridiculous and disgusting. In the case of Rice’s story, the way it appears they tried to hide things is shameful and disrespectful.

In case you don’t know what’s been going on with Rice and that evening in February with his wife, Palmer, I’ll do a bit of a summary for you.

The incident took place February 15th at the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.  Rice and then-fiancée (now wife) Palmer got into a heated argument on their way into the elevator headed back to their hotel room. Rice and Palmer continued arguing inside the elevator when Rice then hits Palmer, she tries to hit back, and Rice then slugs her, knocking her off her feet and her head into the handrail in the elevator and knocking her out cold for the next two to three minutes.

During those next few minutes, Palmer laid there motionless, and when the elevator door opened, Rice picked the top half of Palmer’s body up dragging her out of the elevator where a few people were outside the elevator. You can see security is called over and looks around the elevator.

In recent reports, we’ve now learned that Rice confessed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in June about what had happened in February. Goodell issued a two-game suspension to Rice for the domestic violence incident after Rice’s confession to Goodell in May.

Many people were angered that Rice only received a two-game suspension (even before the video above from TMZ went public). Many reports have suggested though that Goodell had known about the video of Rice hitting Palmer for months before the video went public last week by TMZ. Goodell stated that he knew a video existed but never saw it until it went public. R

eports have said that Goodell and the NFL did receive a copy of the tape from the hotel in late February, but Goodell denied they ever received it. After that video went public, Goodell suspended Rice ‘indefinitely,” and the Baltimore Ravens cut Rice from their roster and voided his contract.

Now there is a full investigation into whether or not Goodell and the NFL front office knew about what had happened that night in February and if they did indeed try to hide what exactly went on.

Aug 28, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) watches their game against the New Orleans Saints from the bench in the second quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL clearly has a serious issue with the amount of criminal activities that have gone on among their players. From drug charges to DUI charges to domestic violence charges, the amount of players in the NFL arrested grows yearly.

Since the year 2000, there have been 713 NFL players arrested, 85 of which have been for domestic violence. That’s an average of 51 players per year being arrested. This year alone there have already been 38 players arrested, and it’s only week two the season.

These players are usually just given a slap on the wrist and are playing next week or at some point later in the season. It’s just a joke and bothers me a lot that there’s no real justice. I used to look forward to the NFL season, but now after all that’s gone on in the last couples years, especially this year, I’ve decided to boycott even watching games, and I will continue to until something is done to help stop all the crime with NFL players.

These guys are seen as role models to many kids and teenagers. When these kids and teens see that these players can get away with anything and can still play, they in turn are going to grow up thinking the same thing in their lives.

Violence against women needs to stop above all. It angers me and disgusts me that a man would ever even think to hit a women. These men who hit women are NOT MEN. They’re the scum of the earth, and should be viewed that way and receive the harshest punishment of the law. This is the only way things are going to change, and the NFL can lead the way against domestic violence and violence against women.

NFL games are among the most watched events on television in the United States. For this reason, the NFL needs to take a bigger stance with violence against women since it’s so big in the public eye, especially among the population of men in this country.

Instead of the NFL’s new “zero tolerance” rule where a player receives a six-game suspension for a first-time offense for domestic violence, it should be a life-time ban. If not, then you can’t call it a “zero tolerance” policy since you’re giving some tolerance by allowing them to play more than half the season.

August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald (91) during the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Chargers 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

A great example of how the NFL could have taken a real stance immediately against domestic violence with their new “zero tolerance” rule would have been with Ray McDonald who was arrested for domestic violence shortly after the new rule went into effect. What happened after he was arrested though? Nothing. Nothing happened. McDonald didn’t receive a suspension from the NFL or the San Francisco 49ers.

Why? Because there wasn’t a video like in the case of Rice that showed an actual crime occurred, even though McDonald’s pregnant fiancé went to the police with bruises over her body. The 49ers won’t issue any disciplinary action until McDonald goes to trial and is found guilty in court. In the meantime, McDonald is allowed to play.

What should be happening to make an example of what will happen to a player arrested for domestic violence should be that player getting benched and not receiving any of his money promised in his contract until a trial is conducted, and the results are out.

Now to add to the criminal pot of the NFL is Adrian Peterson, who was arrested for child abuse after hitting his four-year old son.

The NFL must stop being a home to criminals and instead be an example as to what will happen to you if you break the law.