PR move or genuine care for domestic violence?
The backlash against the NFL and Roger Goodell for Ray Rice’s 2-game suspension finally struck change. Today, the league announced a new initiative in rules against domestic violence, which will have much harsher penalties than we’ve seen before.
The personal conduct policy will now see a six-game suspension for first time offenders and a lifetime ban on the second incident. Not only will this affect players, but it will apply to all NFL personnel. That includes coaches, scouts, GM’s, team owners, etc. Also, all cases may vary in stature, depending on the situation. All players banned for life may appeal one year after, with no guarantee they could be reinstated.
These penalties are also dependent on whether the player was convicted of any wrong doing or struck a plea bargain with the victim. The new rules are not set in stones and will depend on every case, because there is still grey area about what would happen if charges were dropped or other circumstances that may arise.
If a player happens to commit a crime before entering the NFL, and commits his first offense with the league, the punishment can also be longer than 6 games.
“At times, however, and despite our best efforts, we fall short of our goals. We clearly did so in response to a recent incident of domestic violence. My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families. I take responsibility both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values. I didn’t get it right. Our personal conduct policy has long made clear that domestic violence and sexual assault are unacceptable. We clearly must do a better job of addressing these incidents in the NFL. And we will.“
This will definitely cause a shift in the league concerning rookies or troubled players, because organizations may not want to take the risk of signing someone who may have problems down the road. Most would agree that this is a step in the right direction, though. And it seems like the NFL is now moving towards a zero tolerance policy.