NFL response to Rice intolerable

via wikipedia.org

via wikipedia.org

Bobby Wagner, Contributing Columnist

On Monday morning, TMZ leaked the graphic video of Ray Rice violently battering his fiancée in an elevator. It is hard to watch. Half a day later, scheduled to return from his suspension in a week, Rice found himself without a job. And so another star and supposed role model of our beloved league has fallen from grace.

The NFL has gone from bad to worse over the past 10 years. Some of its most explosive stars on the field have had meteoric falls. Michael Vick drew public ire for dog fighting. Donte Stallworth received a whopping 30 days in jail for manslaughter caused by drunk driving. Plaxico Burress quite literally shot his chances at getting a second championship ring by shooting himself in the leg with an unlicensed firearm at a Manhattan nightclub in 2008.

The way the NFL and Roger Goodell has handled this situation is abominable. To be so closely associated with an entity that gave Rice his due process, discovered all there was to be known and then proceeded with his suspension as if it were a cautionary one, is not just a detriment to the face of the league, it betrays the fanbase and sports culture.

The constant discussion on SportsCenter about the length of Rice’s suspension compared to other players is inane. Rice’s NFL suspension is not the issue here. When a celebrity commits a crime, as a society we tend to look at them through the lens of their fame. Why are we acting like the onus falls on only the NFL to punish Rice?

The issue is not whether Ray Rice should be playing football this year, it is that he should be in jail and he is not. When we knew this man had knocked his fiancée unconscious, he got the hook for two games. But when we actually saw him knock her unconscious, the Ravens terminated his contract.We are a culture that says seeing is more punishable than knowing.

The NFL has become infamous for its inconsistency in punishing its athletes. It has, time and time again, put its brand above its morals. But because of its widespread popularity, it has fallen under the protective blanket that celebrity status provides. The League should not take societal pressure for Ray Rice to get the punishment he deserves. It should not take the Twitter outrage of every women’s rights activist and every level-headed person for Roger Goodell to indefinitely suspend Rice. When a person hits their partner and gets away with it, it normalizes domestic violence. When public figures like Rice hit their partners and get away with it, it further institutionalizes domestic violence in our culture. This is something our society cannot tolerate

A version of this story appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 9 print edition. Email Bobby Wagner at [email protected]