Roger Goodell sends memo to NFL teams regarding domestic violence
The first two weeks of the NFL season have been marred thanks in large part to multiple domestic violence scandals. Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Ray MacDonald, Greg Hardy and Jonathan Dwyer have all recently stolen headlines for domestic abuse of some sort, and the NFL’s lack of action in response has become just as big of a story.
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After the NFL and Roger Goodell admitted they made a mistake in the Ray Rice saga, the rest of the NFL has been tripping over itself in dealing with the several other cases that have come to light since then.
Although they can not rectify the past, the NFL is pursuing a future that has absolutely zero tolerance for domestic violence and teaches the NFL and it’s personnel about said violence.
In a memo sent Thursday from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to NFL teams and staff, the league announced a partnership with the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. In addition to those partnerships, all NFL teams and personnel will participate in education on domestic violence and sexual assault.
Starting in next 30 days, all NFL league + team personnel will participate in education on domestic violence + sexual assault, per the memo.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 19, 2014
Here is a snippet of the memo from Goodell, courtesy of ESPN reporter Adam Schefter:
"We are also proceeding to implement broad educational programs within our league. Starting within the next 30 days, all league and team personnel — including executives, coaches, players and staff — will participate in education sessions on domestic violence and sexual assault. These initial sessions will begin to provide the men and women of the NFL with information and tools to understand and recognize domestic violence and sexual assault. We will work with the NFL Players Association to develop and present this training in the most effective way."
With the NFL’s wide reach to sports fans around the world, its zero tolerance policy on domestic violence is something that is desperately needed. The NFL’s image has certainly taken a hit over the last several weeks, but by helping to raise awareness now, they could potentially be thwarting domestic abuse in the future, and that is a step in the right direction.
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