This blog post was submitted by Liz Brown, a Kelowna Women's Shelter Volunteer.
Whether you are a football fan or not, you have probably
heard about Ray Rice – the former Baltimore Ravens’ running back who is
currently serving an indefinite suspension for domestic assault. The initial
assault to his then-fiancé Janay (Palmer) Rice took place last February in an
Atlantic City elevator. TMZ released
footage of Rice dragging her out of the elevator. In September, TMZ released missing footage of
the beginning of the elevator incident. Ray Rice renders Palmer unconscious by
punching her in the face and then with little dignity drags her out of the
elevator.
Ray Rice was the first big story to highlight domestic
violence among NFL players, but he wasn’t the last. Since September, there have been six
different NFL players dealing with domestic assault cases:
ADRIAN PETERSON
has been put on the exempt list. It’s
essentially an $11.75 million paid leave from the Minnesota Vikings. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is allowing
the team to continue paying Peterson while he is off the field dealing with his
child abuse accusations. Earlier this
summer, media reported Peterson had whipped his son with a tree branch, leaving
marks and bruises on his body.
As of yet, Peterson has not been officially suspended.
More of his story of his allegations here: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/us/adrian-peterson-child-abuse-charges/index.html
GREG HARDY plays
defense for the Carolina Panthers and is taking a paid leave of absence. Hardy was convicted in July on misdemeanor
assault charges. Police say he assaulted
his girlfriend at the time and threatened to kill her. He received 18 months of probation and a 60-day
suspension. Hardy is re-trying his case
in front of a Jury in November.
Cris Carter is a former NFL player who shared openly his
opinion on child abuse: http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/9/14/6147347/cris-carter-espn-comments-about-child-abuse
More of Hardy’s story here: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/panthers-deactivate-greg-hardy-until-domestic-violence-case-resolved-1.2011758
JONATHAN DWYER is
the running back for the Arizona Cardinals.
He was arrested this September for assaulting a 27-year-old woman and an
18-month-old child. Dwyer has six
charges against him, including one of the assault charges resulting in a
fracture.
Cardinals’ coach, Bruce Arians had his hands full. Last spring, Cardinals’ player Daryl
Washington was put on probation for assaulting the mother of his child, where
he broke her collarbone.
Coach Arians is taking action and has declared with Dwyer’s
recent incident that he won’t be playing this season.
More details here: http://www.azcentral.com/story/laurieroberts/2014/09/22/nfl-domestic-violence-ray-rice-jonathan-dwyer/15908595/
RAY MCDONALD
plays defense for the San Francisco 49ers.
He was accused of felony domestic violence. He has played the first
three games of the season and experienced little consequences.
More details here: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/San-Francisco-49ers-Ray-McDonald-s-home-5772123.php
QUINCY ENUNWA
plays for the New York Jets. He was
arrested in early September and charged with simple assault involving a woman
in a hotel. He has pleaded not guilty
and is still practicing with the team.
More details here: http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/11535131/new-york-jets-wr-quincy-enunwa-domestic-violence-case-being-investigated-league
RAY RICE was
the running back for the Minnesota Vikings and the initial story in the NFL’s domestic
violence debacle. The league has given
him an indefinite suspension, but is appealing the decision in court.
Many of the above charges and accusations came after the NFL
Player’s Association made policy changes around domestic violence. The changes include: First offenses for
players involved in domestic violence result in a six-game unpaid suspension. A second offense results in a minimum
one-year unpaid suspension. Upon serving
the first year, the player can then petition to rejoin the league, but there is
no guarantee.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM
YOU:
How do you think the NFL has handled the domestic violence
cases?
What sort of disciplinary action should players receive?
