After having four players arrested in the past month for domestic violence, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is under extreme heat for mishandling the recent Ray Rice scandal. This sparked the debate on whether or not Goodell should be fired for originally suspending Ray Rice for only two games after watching video footage of the former Baltimore Raven punching his then fiancée, Janay Palmer, in an Atlantic City hotel elevator.
When a video was released showing Rice dragging Palmer out of an elevator at the Atlantic Revel Casino, many critics felt that Rice’s suspension had been too light. Goodell replied defending the length of the suspension, stating that the suspension was consistent with those from the past. However, when TMZ released a second video displaying Rice punching Palmer in the head, the NFL increased Rice’s suspension. This sparked speculations on whether or not Goodell had seen the second video before announcing Rice’s initial suspension. Others began to question why the commissioner decided to suspend Rice for only two games when other athletes were suspended for much longer periods of time for using drugs that helped decrease pain caused by football injuries.
It is outrageous that the NFL would suspend a player who misused drugs to deal with injuries for a longer period of time compared to a player who was arrested for domestic violence. Goodell’s mistake with the Rice scandal set a weak example for players around the league to follow.
Goodell’s poor leadership has set a lenient precedent for other players to follow. Arizona Cardinals’ Running Back Jonathan Dwyer, New York Jets’ Wide Receiver Quincy Enunwa and San Francisco 49ers’ Defensive End Ray McDonald were all arrested on domestic abuse allegations this past month. Even more surprisingly, former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson was indicted on child abuse allegations and removed from the team’s roster. If Goodell had set strict regulations on abuse incidents, these players would have been more conscious of their actions and decided that it was not worth the risk of losing their money and careers.
The NFL and its players need to get its act together. Millions of children around the world look up to these superstars as role models and the NFL needs to set a good example as America’s most popular sport.