NFL needs to take steps to improve image

NFL needs to take steps to improve image

Corey Greineisen
Sports Editor

In recent weeks the NFL has had a lot of focus placed on its policies regarding domestic violence. The initial concerns came after Ray Rice was accused of getting into a physical altercation with his girlfriend and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handled the situation poorly. There was a large outcry against the initial two game suspension that Rice had received and it forced Goodell to create a policy regarding domestic abuse.

“I take responsibility both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values,” Goodell said. “I didn’t get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will.”

There were many new policies placed in effect after Goodell’s apology that included harsher penalties for offenders.
This is the policy put in place: Violations of the Personal Conduct Policy regarding assault, battery, domestic violence and sexual assault that involve physical force will be subject to enhanced discipline. A first offense will be subject to a suspension of six weeks without pay. Mitigating circumstances will be considered, and more severe discipline will be imposed if there are aggravating circumstances such as the presence or use of a weapon, choking, repeated striking, or when the act is committed against a pregnant woman or in the presence of a child. A second offense will result in banishment from the league; an offender may petition for reinstatement after one year but there is no assurance that the petition will be granted. These disciplinary consequences apply to all NFL personnel.

Other policies put in place include that all NFL Personnel will participate in new and enhanced educational programs on domestic violence and sexual assault and an increase in their outreach to college and youth football programs. Also families will receive detailed information about available services and resources, both through the club and independent of the club. These resources and services will be available to employees and their families on a confidential basis.

But where one side of an issue becomes appeased there is push back from another. The NFLPA responded to the new policy stating:

We were informed today of the NFL’s decision to increase penalties on domestic violence offenders under the Personal Conduct Policy for all NFL employees. As we do in all disciplinary matters, if we believe that players’ due process rights are infringed upon during the course of discipline, we will assert and defend our members’ rights.

The NFLPA has already lived up to the statement by backing an appeal set forth by Rice.

Rice, who had a punishment put in place before the rule change, has since been indefinitely suspended. Rice is appealing the banishment where due process and the concept of double jeopardy are expected to be at the heart of the effort to attempt to get Rice reinstated.

“This action taken by our union is to protect the due process rights of all NFL players,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “The NFLPA appeal is based on supporting facts that reveal a lack of a fair and impartial process, including the role of the office of the Commissioner of the NFL. We have asked that a neutral and jointly selected arbitrator hear this case as the Commissioner and his staff will be essential witnesses in the proceeding and thus cannot serve as impartial arbitrators.”

Beyond the Rice case, it’s been one of the most trying weeks in recent NFL history. The league is also dealing with child-abuse accusations against one of the league’s top players, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton called for the Vikings to suspend Peterson. Peterson was deactivated by the Vikings on Sunday, but has now been reinstated.

Sponsors also began to take action suspending sponsorships and releasing statements, the strongest coming Tuesday from one of the NFL’s biggest partners, Anheuser-Busch, expressing disapproval about the Peterson case.

Adrian Peterson has been placed on something called the Exemption/ Commissioner’s Permission List pending the investigation. In a statement from the team the Vikings stated:

We will support Adrian during this legal and personal process, but we firmly believe and realize this is the right decision. We hope that all of our fans can respect the process that we have gone through to reach this final decision.

Two more players were benched by NFL teams on Wednesday over allegations of domestic violence.

First, the Carolina Panthers placed their star defensive end Greg Hardy on the exempt list and then the Arizona Cardinals deactivated running back Jonathan Dwyer.

As ESPN reports, Hardy was benched because he “was found guilty by a judge in July of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend.” Hardy appealed that decision and is facing a jury trial that begins Nov. 17.

According to the Arizona Republic, Dwyer was arrested by police on Wednesday after they received allegations that he assaulted his wife in July.

NFL, MLB, NBA and other sports leagues aren’t guided by the same rules as the criminal justice system.

Instead sports leagues use a combination of factors in determining how to treat accused and convicted players, including Collective Bargaining Agreements that are shaped by years of negotiations between union leaders, commissioners and ownership as well as arbitration rulings.

Of the four major leagues – the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL – the NFL is the only one to have a specific policy on domestic violence, though it has been quickly adjusted in the past month.

The NFL is making strides to improving its recently tarnished image by making a few personnel changes to address issues. The commissioner sent a memo to all 32 teams, saying NFL executive Anna Isaacson will take over the newly formed job of vice president of social responsibility, and he named three outside consultants to help shape league policies on domestic violence and sexual assault. All four are women.

The memo, obtained by The Times, did not outline how Isaacson, who was vice president of community affairs and philanthropy, would develop a plan or monitor its effectiveness. It said Lisa Friel, Jane Randel and Rita Smith will work as “senior advisors.”

Friel was head of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit in the New York County district attorney’s office for more than a decade. Randel is cofounder of No More, a national initiative to raise the profile of and normalize the conversation about domestic violence and sexual assault. Smith is the former executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.



With all of the black marks against the NFL under the leadership of Goodell it is important to handle the newest issues carefully. With all of the discrepancies between Goodell and the NFLPA it may be time to introduce third party arbitrations, an issue that could not be agreed upon during the last set of negotiations.