The viral assault video of now-former NFL Baltimore Ravens football player Ray Rice has stirred up quite the controversy. The celebrity gossip website TMZ posted an initial video of the attack that happened in February, which showed Rice dragging his then-fiancé, now wife, Janay Palmer out of an elevator in Atlantic City, New Jersey, early morning. Allegedly both parties were at fault for domestic violence. However, on Sept. 8, seven months after the incident, TMZ posted more footage from inside the elevator of Rice punching Palmer to a state of unconsciousness.
After the first video was released the NFL suspended Rice for two games, and later indefinitely after the security footage hit the media last week. In response to all the backlash, the NFL enforced a new, harsher punishment for domestic violence for players within the league, which under the personal conduct policy includes a six-game ban and any employees with a second offense would be banned for life.
A stereotype that is often well played out in these situations is that the male in the relationship is fully responsible for all domestic violence, and while Rice was completely and disgustingly in the wrong, his wife should have also been guilty for hitting him; hence the aggravated assault charges.
According to Forbes, Rice’s ban from the NFL may not stand for several reasons legally, but even if it does, NFL teams individually would be smart to not sign him again due to the negative attention. Under the governing labor laws, technically Rice was already punished once for his actions during the first suspensions when all evidence was given to the NFL at the time. An appeal to the punishment has been made and is currently awaiting a hearing date.
Initially the NFL seemed as if they weren’t taking this offense seriously until all the media attention. How can TMZ get ahold of the full security tape but they couldn’t? Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner consistently denies that the NFL had seen any of the elevator footage, and that the NFL had requested from law enforcement the full security tape but was denied every time. Why would law enforcement deny security footage, and even if they had initially, by now it should have been available and the NFL is responsible for conducting a full and thorough investigation regarding their employee no matter the timeline. New evidence suggests that the NFL did in fact see the entire video but what seems to be the case is that they only enforced a harsher punishment because of the reaction from the general public. Because of the NFL’s lack of investigation, or so they say, now the situation is much more complicated. Rice should be indefinitely suspended and made an example of, but the NFL should take this as a lesson. Now the integrity of the entire league and its rules are compromised and this puts Rice, his family, the Ravens and Goodell in a sticky situation.
Domestic violence is not to be taken lightly, and with that said the NFL did take proper action and made an example of Ray Rice in the incident that had occurred by suspending him indefinitely after the tape was released. American society as a whole already has our values backwards in that athletes and celebrities are paid more than our educators and leaders. Having the money and the fame comes with an obligation to the public to act as a public figure. There should be absolutely a zero tolerance standard for anyone in the lime light regarding domestic violence as the issue affects so many relationships and families across the world.