Unnecessary Roughness: Tackling the NFL’s Domestic Violence Issue
By Nafisa H
Domestic violence, an issue which 1 in 4 women will be a victim of during their lifetime, is a very serious and common issue throughout the world and one that has become all too common in the NFL. With the latest NFL player arrest for domestic violence coming yesterday when Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested, the NFL needs to do more to tackle its domestic violence issue.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell insists that the NFL will not tolerate conduct that endangers others, especially violence towards women; yet, the league continuously fails to properly address the issue of violence towards women with its players. In 2012, Roger Goodell met with union leader DeMaurice Smith to discuss ways to decrease player arrests for domestic violence. For two years prior to 2012, nine players were reportedly arrested for domestic violence. Since 2012, USA Today reports that there have been 10 NFL player arrests for domestic violence.
14
different reported domestic violence arrests in only
two
years ( 3 in within the last 3 weeks) and more reported arrests if you include those for all acts of violence towards women. Even scarier, is the fact that most domestic violence incidents and other acts of violence against women are never reported.
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Clearly, the NFL hasn’t been successful in decreasing the number of domestic violence incidents since it announced its goal in 2012. However, the NFL has entered desperation mode and it’s trying to do some serious damage control after dropping the ball when handling this year’s domestic violence incidents, particularly the domestic violence incident in which Ray Rice knocked his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, unconscious. The NFL modified its personal conduct rule to include a mandatory 6-game suspension if a player is arrested and charged with domestic abuse. Additionally, the NFL announced this week that it hired four women to serve as advisers to Roger Goodell to help shape the NFL’s stance on domestic violence.
Yet, the NFL needs to focus on how to prevent domestic violence incidents from happening in the NFL. Some may argue that the NFL announcing a harsher punishment would decrease domestic violence incidents. I don’t believe that because after the NFL changed its personal conduct policy, Ray McDonald was arrested for a domestic violence incident, the NFL said that it would let the McDonald situation play out and he is currently playing. The NFL needs to do more to address its domestic violence issue. I believe that the NFL should impose a mandatory anger management program to all of its players. While every player doesn’t strike their partner, every play does get angry and face adversity and disappointment. Anger management programs will help the players deal with struggles in a proper way while keeping their frustration in line. These players channel so much aggression on the field, they need to learn how to control their anger and aggression off of it. In addition to anger management classes, perhaps including couples or family counseling would help these players resolve their issues with their significant others without resorting to violence.
“1 in 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence during their lifetime. With this common global issue becoming all to o common in the NFL, the League needs to do more to tackle its domestic violence issue.”
My final suggestion to the NFL is to go purple. For months, I have been contacting the League and pushing them to start a “Unnecessary Roughness” campaign to raise awareness for domestic violence victims. The league started a “Crucial Catch” campaign to raise awareness for breast cancer. Well, the league needs to do the same for domestic violence since a woman is twice as likely to be a victim of domestic violence (1 in 4 women experience domestic violence) than to suffer from breast cancer (1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer). Now, I’m not saying that the NFL needs to end its “Crucial Catch” campaign. I believe that the NFL needs to address both issues since October is both Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness month. Both are very serious issues that address women and both need to be addressed. With the NFL’s female fanbase growing to 46% in recent years, it’s about time that the League practice what it preaches and take serious action to combat violence towards women.
What else can the NFL do to tackle its domestic violence issue? Sound off below.