Ray Rice Suspension: NFL’s punishment is laughable

The NFL basically told me that as a female I don’t count for anything. They had a chance to take a stand with Ray Rice and say that domestic violence isn’t going to be tolerated in a league that has catered for years to grab and maintain female consumers. The NFL is ok with wearing and selling pink merchandise for a month to support women who battle breast cancer, but what they’ve just proved with Ray Rice’s suspension is that they’re also ok with men battering women, literally.

For those that missed it, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was arrested this past February in connection to an incident at an Atlantic City casino with his then-fianceé, now wife, Janay Palmer. The police report stated that Rice struck Palmer, rendering her unconscious. There was also a leaked security tape of Rice dragging the unconscious Palmer out of an elevator. Reports also say that there is video evidence of the actual assault that shows Rice essentially “knocking out” his future wife. As a result of the incident, Rice entered a pre-trial program to avoid any jail time and has now been officially suspended for the first two games of the 2014 NFL season by Roger Goodell.

The internet rage that followed the announcement of Ray Rice’s 2-game suspension by Roger Goodell is something I’m hoping will last more than just the 24-hour news cycle. This is the real “distraction” the NFL should be concerning themselves about as opposed to whether or not a seventh-round draft pick’s sexuality will affect his making an NFL roster. The problem here isn’t that Rice was suspended, but the fact that Roger Goodell, with his “iron fist” of punishment showed the fans of the NFL once again just how inconsistent and ineffective his discipline has become.

A lot of connections have been made between Josh Gordon’s pending 1-year suspension and Ray Rice’s 2-game suspension and the disparity between the two. The thing to remember is that Gordon’s suspension wasn’t handed down by Goodell, that’s an automatic suspension built into the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Gordon can appeal the length, which he is doing, but this isn’t a suspension that is decided upon by Goodell in terms of the NFL’s personal conduct policy like Ray Rice’s suspension was. The better comparison to make is how Terrelle Pryor was suspended for the first five games of his NFL career for his role in the Ohio State scandal of trading autographs for tattoos and other merchandise, violating NCAA rules. That’s right; Goodell placed a higher suspension to a player who violated collegiate athletic rules than a player who violated a woman’s face.

The thing that the NFL needs to realize though is that the general public doesn’t care if the Josh Gordon suspension length is out of Goodell’s control and something that was already determined through the CBA. The public image of the NFL right now is that it caters to players who batter women and punishes players who test positive for marijuana.

How long that public image of the league will last, however, is up to the fans and media. We’re a society now that apparently gets more enraged about comments than actions. For example, Minnesota Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer was suspended for 3 games after their internal organization confirmed that he made homophobic remarks to the team.  So a position coach is suspended for a longer amount of time for making comments than a high-profile player is for his actions — actions that involved an assault on another human being. That’s an absolutely disgusting message the league is sending.

In an NFL Communications release, Roger Goodell includes a letter addressed to Rice regarding his suspension.

"“As you acknowledged during our meeting, your conduct was unquestionably inconsistent with league policies and the standard of behavior required of everyone who is part of the NFL. The league is an entity that depends on integrity and in the confidence of the public and we simply cannot tolerate conduct that endangers others or reflects negatively on our game. This is particularly true with respect to domestic violence and other forms of violence against women.You will be expected to continue to take advantage of the counseling and other professional services you identified during our meeting. As you noted, this additional assistance has been of significant benefit to you and your wife, and it should remain a part of your practice as appropriate.I believe that you are sincere in your desire to learn from this matter and move forward toward a healthy relationship and successful career. I am now focused on your actions and expect you to demonstrate by those actions that you are prepared to fulfill those expectations.” – Roger Goodell to Ray Rice"

This letter and the suspension is a complete joke. The message that the league is sending to its female fan base is alarming. Consider the fact that the NFL is sending league representatives to each teams’ training camp to address locker room behavior in light of the bullying scandal from last season with the Miami Dolphins. Consider the fact that the NFL will start penalizing players for using the n-word on the field during games. The NFL cares more about language used than actions taken by the players.

Goodell had an opportunity here, the same way he took the opportunity in 2004 when Ben Roethlisberger was accused, but not charged, with sexual assault, to take a stand and say aside from what the legal system says the NFL will not tolerate violence against women. He could have suspended Rice for an appropriate length of time and then let the NFL players, who are so quick to come to the defense of players like Josh Gordon and Aldon Smith with their substance abuse problems, decide if they’re going to go to bat for a man who is on video dragging his unconscious fiancé through and elevator.

I can only infer, from the puny length of Ray Rice’s suspension, that the NFL does tolerate domestic violence.

I love NFL football. I’ve loved it since I was a kid. Maybe it was the fact that I have no brothers and constantly wanted to spend time with my dad, who loved football, maybe it’s because I just dig watching the game but I’m hooked and sadly even this isn’t going to deter me. I am thoroughly disappointed as a fan, especially as a female fan that the NFL would fail in such an epic way to administer appropriate punishment that would send a message to fans that domestic violence is actually not to be tolerated.

I can only infer, from the puny length of Ray Rice’s suspension, that the NFL does tolerate domestic violence. That Ray Rice’s talent, his ability to hire a savvy legal team to avoid jail time, his horribly disturbing act of actually marrying his victim combined with his ability to sell tickets and NFL merchandise trump whatever happened in that casino. The more terrifying thought is that if that’s what Rice does out in public, what is happening behind closed doors? Just hope for his NFL career’s sake, he’s keeping it to actions instead of words.