1. This should have happened back in July when Rice admitted to abusing his partner Janay Palmer.
Full stop. Ray Rice said he made a mistake and had learned from it, admitting to assaulting his fiance. For some reason though, the NFL Commission merely gave him a 2 game suspension and told him to get therapy. Only when the horrific video of him punching his partner came out did they take action.
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3. The "he made a mistake" mantra that everyone connected with Rice is repeating.
Rice said of the assault that it was "the biggest mistake of my life" and was a "one time incident." Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said "That night was not typical of the Ray Rice we know and respect."
According to statistics about domestic violence, this being a one-time occurrence is extremely unlikely. What's more probably is that he has hurt his partner Janay before, and will continue to hurt her later. Abuse does not happen in a vacuum; perpetrators do not suddenly become so enraged that one night they knock their fiance's unconscious and never become aggressive again. Abusers typically find ways to make their victims helpless; they cut off their support systems, convince them it's normal, that they provoked it, and utilize other methods of control, such as being in control of the couple's finances and home or threatening to take away the children, to keep their victims from leaving.
4. The problematic language of the new NFL policy on assault, which reads:
"Sexual assault that involves physical force."
That little detail, "that involves physical force" needs to be taken out before this new regulation will have any merit. The "physical force" aspect puts onus on victims to prove that they resisted and fought their rapists or else they weren't really raped. It does not account for the millions of women who are coerced, raped while intoxicated or (unwillingly) drugged, or simply more focused on their survival while being violently assaulted than on fighting their assailants so that later they will be able to prove they were actually raped. Besides, even bearing the marks of a gruesome physical violation is no guarantee that some lawyer won't argue that she wanted "rough sex" and the rapist will walk away regardless.
For every assault like this caught on tape, thousands go unwitnessed by outsiders. By only banning Rice after the video surfaced, the NFL Commission is sending a clear message: don't get caught on tape, and you'll be fine. Don't leave evidence of assaulting defenseless women and you'll be fine. Don't get caught and we won't punish you.
2. Despite harsher punishment for players who knock out defenseless loved ones, smoking pot will continue to have harsher punishment. Don't forget, one of the original factors that caused outrage, the fact that Josh Gordon tested positive for pot and received a full season suspension, is still out there: men who smoke a substance legal in some states will probably continue to face full season bans while men who punch their partners so hard they lose consciousness will face a 6 game ban.
To believe that this was truly a one-off occurrence is foolish bordering on delusional. The number of managers, coaches, and other NFL professionals who have professed as much undermine the incredibly seriousness of domestic violence in America, where one third of all women who are murdered are murdered by their intimate partner. Janay Palmer could well be the next murder victim.
"Effective immediately, violations of the Personal Conduct Policy regarding assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve physical force will be subject to a suspension without pay of six games for a first offense, with consideration given to mitigating factors, as well as a longer suspension when circumstances warrant,"
The NFL Commission needs to takeout the "physical force" part of their assault policy, or it's nothing more than paying lip service to solidarity with women and survivors than it is an actual regulation that will ensure that players who assault others will face punishment.
Our criminal justice system, which also gave Rice a slap on the wrist, is far from being reformed. We need to work to make beating women a real and punisheable crime. In the meantime, there's another motion we can add: boycott the NFL.
I don't care how much you love football, how much work you've put into your fantasy football league, or how badly you're hoping for the Packers to win this time or want to look at Aaron Rogers' beautiful face (ahem, this author right here). It doesn't matter. Watching any NFL games, buying merchandise, or attending games is sending the message that you're ok with what the NFL Commission has done, which is prove over and over again that they care more about winning games than about the safety and rights of half of the population of the world and a huge group of fans that keep them in business. If you support the NFL, you're saying you stand with men who condone domestic violence. You're saying that you'd rather enjoy the pleasures of watching the sport of football than stand with the 1.3 million women who are abused by their partners each year. Even if you feel conflicted about it when watching a game, you'll still be giving it your financial support and therefor your alliance. When you choose to watch or not watch football this season, you will be making your priorities clear.
I'm asking you to ally yourself with women this football season. Make it known why you're sitting this season out. Tweet at Roger Goodell (@NFLCommish) each time you would normally sit down to watch a game and tell him that you're not participating until he takes a harsher stance on players who assault women. Use the hastag #NFLBoycott. Tell him that men who knock their partners unconscious deserve harsher punishment than those who take semi-legal drugs. Don't just say you're an ally this football season. Be an ally.
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