It was a bad week for the NFL
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has had his hands full this past week to say the least. The National Football League saw multiple key players get caught up in allegations involving domestic violence. The most prominent player being looked at is former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice.
About one month ago, a video surfaced showing Rice carrying his unconscious wife out of an elevator in Atlantic City, N.J. Many presumed he had hit her, but no one knew for sure. Last week, a new video was revealed showing the actual elevator footage of Rice striking his now wife Janay Rice multiple times. The NFL and Roger Goodell then extended Rice’s original suspension of two games to an indefinite suspension.
This caused many to say that Goodell and Rice were in cahoots and when the actual footage came out, Goodell was forced to reprimand Rice further to save his name. There was also rumors that the NFL was sent the video of Rice and Janay inside the elevator earlier than they said they did, further validating that Goodell may have been trying to protect Rice. Rice has since been released by the Ravens.
Rice is not the only player caught in turmoil these past few weeks. Multiple other players have been the subject of domestic abuse allegations.
Just a couple of days ago, Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers was benched for his game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defensive end was convicted of beating his girlfriend and threatening to kill her on June 15.
Adrian Peterson, a superstar running back for the Minnesota Vikings, was indicted on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child for beating his four-year-old son with a switch. He was also suspended by the Vikings for their game last Sunday against the New England Patriots.
San Francisco 49ers defensive player Ray McDonald is being accused of hitting his pregnant fiancé at a party on Aug. 31. Other 49ers players were at this party but none witnessed the incident.
So, is this going to be a onetime thing or is this kind of behavior going to become weekly from NFL players?
The NFL is still reeling from multiple lawsuits from players who say they were brain damaged from multiple concussions. This just further batters the NFL’s image.