By Roberto Kampfner
Staff Writer
In the past year, there has been a notable increase in the number of cases of domestic violence in the National Football League. The NFL is not adequately addressing the problem and should, therefore, create new guidelines to outline the punishments for violence-based issues.
During the 2014 season, numerous players in the NFL were suspended because of domestic violence charges, including running backs Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice. Domestic violence is a prevalent issue in the United States and even more of one in the microcosm of the NFL.
According to online news resource fivethirtyeight.com, the arrest rate for domestic violence within the NFL (55.4 percent) is four times larger than the arrest rate of all other offenses (13 percent). The prevalence of the issue within the athletic community and the need for an efficient means of addressing the issue is undeniable.
A simple solution to this issue would be a set of standardized rules and consequences for abusers. The new Performance Enhancing Drug Policy for the NFL accounts for all types of performance enhancing drugs and is very specific in its charges; however, there are inadequate protocols regarding domestic violence, a more dangerous and serious issue. This approach to domestic abuse could be the foundation for an effective policy to address the problem.
If the NFL were to develop a basic guideline for domestic abuse, violators would all receive similar penalties instead of randomized punishments determined on a case-by-case basis. There would then be a measure of consistency and reliability within the NFL. Since 2010, when the new PED policy was written, 93 players have been suspended, demonstrating the effectiveness of a standardized system. Adopting a domestic abuse policy could promote a reduction in domestic abuse cases as well as fair and unbiased consequences based upon the severity of player actions, rather than heightened sentences based upon media hype.
Furthermore, a review of the previous violations in a methodical, systematic manner would be able to set a precedent for a much more fundamentally sound domestic violence policy. This would demonstrate the league’s ability to recognize the rash decisions it made this year.
Additionally, the NFL is having issues with upholding the idea of “innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,” a principle inherent to basic American values. Rice was charged with domestic violence, and though there was no trial, the NFL still suspended him. The NFL needs to wait until a court of law determines either innocence or guilt and then hand out punishments accordingly. If suspects are found innocent after missing half the season without pay, NFL policies would have unjustly affected innocent players.
Some might say that the NFL has a right to suspend a player regardless of circumstances, but when the league suspends people based on allegations, it creates a nebulous policy founded upon a policy of cooperate imperialism. The league needs to wait for a judge’s ruling and enforce the verdict made at that time.
If the NFL were to develop a more standardized guideline for domestic violence, it would be able to deal with this emerging issue. The NFL also needs to wait until a court of law makes a decision regarding each player’s actions before handing out concequences of their own.
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