If the antics around the decisions of how the NFL conducts business sounds like a broken record (for those of you remember that era of records) then you are not alone. It is a mystery how the most powerful sports entity in this country can continue to step on themselves on a near weekly basis. This systemic concern does not exist solely about the players and their actions on and off the field. It seems that stupidity has become a contagious virus that has spread to the upper floors of the executive offices. The most recent debacle took place last week when the league thought it was a good idea to suspend Baltimore Raven running back Ray Rice for his role in a domestic assault involving his then fiancée, now wife. That is where the accolades stop.
The league thought a two game slap on the wrist was enough. We’re talking about a league that has suspended players for drinking and driving, drug use and other criminal offenses and seen those players be banned for an entire year. Rice’s antics only cost him two games. Two games. He is still allowed to participate in all team functions such as training camp and preseason game, but he is just on ice when the season starts. There is so much wrong with how this ordeal has been handled. The two game suspension is one thing but it was disclosed that Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Rice and his wife at the same time and she made a passionate plea to not to punish him too severely. Time to call a time out.
To make sure we are on the same page, here we have the person who had performed a Mike Tyson-like expose on his wife sitting at the same table with her. She said all was good and it was just one of those things. Please keep in mind that anything less than that statement would have taken her back in time where she would be a victim at the hands of Rice again. Throw in the fact that if this continues to cost Rice money, it would also cost her as well. The commissioner was moved by testimony, hence the two game suspension. Go figure that no one of any decision making capacity could have seen the flaw here?
Wait, they did have a decision maker and he was Roger Goodell.
Matters were made worse this last week when NFL Senior Vice President Adolpho Birch weighed in on the matter and said that the NFL certainly sent a strong message with this punishment. Birch could not have been more right but only for the wrong reason. In an era where sports leagues work tirelessly to garner new fans and even harder to incorporate women, the NFL and Birch have made it loud and clear on where they feel a woman’s place should be. Stay in the kitchen, make sure the beer is cold and the pizza is warm and pray that my team wins if you do not want to feel my wrath. This league has such a poor track record on how women have been treated within their own ranks. Just ask the Oakland Raiders and other teams’ cheerleaders how some of them have been treated. Some have decided to take them to court over the practices of how they work and get paid. While cheerleader pay is low on the totem pole compared to domestic violence, the culture of the NFL continues to erode the very fabric from which this league comes from.
The NFL has plenty of mouthpieces (some paid, some who just get credentials) to champion their causes. The sad thing here is that most of the flock just shake their heads and move on. At this time of the year it is only a hot button issue because there are no games being played. Once we get past Labor Day it will be open season again, not just domestic violence but the other well-documented offenses that always seem to be put off for punishment until the offseason. I wonder how many inmates who are sitting in jails around the country are afforded that lenience. It will be back to business as usual for the league as training camp is underway and one could care less about how some players treat their women. After all, we now have games to get ready for.
The price for an African American woman appears to be even less when it comes to this issue and yet if not for these women, our culture would be diminished. In many cases, they are the only ones at home and yet they receive the least amount of protection and support. While that is not the sole problem of the NFL, one has to wonder how many players come from single parent families whereas these individuals should value the impact women have had on them as the ascend to the professional ranks. As for the leadership, a change is desperately needed. Do not hold your breath though as this league is now bulletproof for all the wrong reasons and when in doubt there is always an Adolpho Birch waiting in the wings to set the record straight.
If NFL executives were smart (and that has come into question lately) they would have suspended Rice for at least 10 games. At that point the NFL players union would have to get involved to defend their member. Have you noticed there has not been a word from them since this whole thing went down? Dragging the player’s union into this would create an even broader situation where the players would have to take a stand in front of their brethren, their fans and even their spouses on their position of domestic violence. At that point a lesser penalty would have been negotiated but at least it would have been greater than the current penalty of just two games. Perhaps this would have called for a trip to the courthouse where the legal system would be forced to weigh in.
Buck passing by the league? Perhaps, but in this case they did not have the forethought to see that this issue would garner so much attention. The country’s most powerful sports league could have been a leader on a serious issue instead of being a contributor to the problem. The end result would have made the league and its players more accountable for any discretions. At this stage, it’s just another black eye on the list of many for a troubled league on and off the field.
The issue of domestic abuse has created quite a stir this week as there just seems to be too many feet to accommodate the mouths that are in search of insertion. Stephen A. Smith was the most recent example as he stepped all in it, citing women have to do a better job in not inciting men to tee off on them. His words brought on such a firestorm that even he had to step to the plate to clarify his remarks and apologize for his comments. Smith was also suspended by ESPN for a week. It’s not that hard to understand but it is obviously hard for some to implement. At least there is a public conversation that is now on the table. If only the NFL had taken this matter more seriously, more could have been done. Instead they should be penalized for insensitive stupidity. I’m not sure how many yards they should mark off for this penalty though as it has hurt more people than they could ever imagine.
Now that the preseason is underway, this issue will quietly go away and we shall all wait with bated breath for the next calamity to beset the NFL. It seems the league does not want to affect the fantasy leagues now by taking players off the field so maybe discipline will wait until season end like most players and their pending court dates. Sad but true, as there is no greater double standard set than that of the National Football League. Enjoy the season.
A New Day
Leave it to the NBA and its players to stay one step ahead of the pack when it comes to diversity. The NBA was the first league to have women referees and the one that formed the WNBA. Now the players association has stepped forward with a first.
Washington, D.C., attorney Michele Roberts has been voted in as the new executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, making her the first woman to head up a major North American sports union.
Roberts joins Tony Clark (who was the second former player to head up a players association) for Major League Baseball and Demaurice Smith who is the executive director for the NFL Players Association.
Three of the four major team sports players associations are now led by African Americans. This is a first in sports history. Roberts will be a rookie at the NBA negotiations with first year commissioner Adam Silver. The world will be watching as both millionaire players and billionaire owners will be looking to increase the size of the pot in two years. Roberts resume will be hard to challenge as she is considered one of the top labor lawyers in the country. It’s a bold, but sensible move for the players to get some real professional help at the bargaining table when the time is due.
