Ray Rice's forced departure from the Ravens and the NFL last week brought on no small discussion across social media, television and radio. The comparisons to other NFL and other pro athletes who have done lesser or greater crimes (smoking pot, murder) doesn't change what it is he actually did. It doesn't change the fact he is being punished because he was caught in the act. As the online satirical publication The Onion jokingly pointed out, the NFL could have specified that their new policies are on videotaped occurrences of violence, not violence across the board.
It would be naïve of anyone to pretend like this is Rice's first incident. It would be ignorant to believe he is the only one to have acted this way. He's just one who got caught doing it. There has been huge uproar over his weak punishment (originally a two- to four-game suspension) and the disbelief that the NFL commissioner didn't see this video until just a few days ago.
While those are real and serious issues, aren't they just surface problems? For instance, it shouldn't take a video of someone actually slugging his fiancée to garner proper punishment. The fact she was dragged out of the elevator unconscious should be enough to alert authorities to what happened inside. What else does the NFL, or any organization for that matter, overlook or ignore? And why exactly do they go to such great lengths to ignore it?
Cash is king. Everybody knows that. So naturally, a huge concern is how will this affect the NFL? If they were only firing Rice because of the potential threat to sponsorships, you aren't really dealing with the issue. It is making an example, sure, but all those other pro athletes who are just as violent/abusive are getting off the hook -- because they weren't caught. There is plenty of evidence that Rice's actions are not an isolated incident -- either for him or other athletes. But if you are potentially losing, say, Nike as a sponsor, or Coca-Cola decides to pull out of your stadium, any good business person is going to be quick to relieve themselves of the problem. As much as money shouldn't be the real issue here, it is the underlying reason any action was finally taken. Statements may abound about nobody having seen the video, or how seriously the commissioner takes domestic violence, but in the end the decision to do anything was about money. That should be as disturbing to us as watching the TMZ video.
What may be surprising to some people is Janay Rice's outrage at the way her husband is being treated. Here is a woman who, regardless of whether she was picking a fight, was knocked unconsciousness. Yet she blasts the media and is angry her husband has lost his job. Nobody is asking her to file for divorce, but she could give at least give some service to the other side -- you know, defending victims of domestic abuse.
This isn't being anti-football. It is about trying to recognize misplaced values and priorities that really are dictated by our culture as a whole. Of course, as the days go on, more evidence will be revealed, more statements issued, and opinions will continue to fly from all sides. Trying to accurately assess those priorities and challenge the misguided ones may not change the way things are run but at least people don't have to have some disillusioned view of the situation. We can be more responsible than that, and we can demand more responsibility from those in the powerful positions.
ALYSSA PEISER GRADUATED FROM JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN ENGLISH. SHE'S AN ACCOUNT MANAGER WITH A LOCAL MARKETING FIRM AND A RESIDENT OF FAYETTEVILLE.
Commentary on 09/12/2014