The NFL Increases Penalties Regarding Domestic Violence

Ray Rice with Family

The NFL is taking a tougher stance on domestic violence amid criticism of the punishment the league handed down to Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.

The AP reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell outlined tougher penalties regarding players accused of domestic violence in a letter sent to all 32 NFL team owners Thursday. Although he did not mention Rice by name, the letter clearly references the athlete, who was charged with assaulting his then fiancée after being caught on video dragging her off a casino elevator.

 

“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,” Goodell wrote. “I didn’t get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will.”

According to the letter, an initial domestic violence offense will draw a six-week ban without pay, although it says “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.”

Although a second offense will result in banishment from the league, a player will be allowed to petition for reinstatement after a year.

“There is no assurance that the petition will be granted,” Goodell’s letter said.

USA Today’s NFL Arrests Database notes that since January 2000, 77 players have been involved in 85 domestic violence incidents with six being cut by their teams. Six players were suspended or one game each by the NFL. Rice was the second player to be suspended for two games.

Rice’s punishment triggered outrage that prompted three members of Congress to write to the commissioner asking him to reconsider Rice’s suspension. In addition, the governor of Maine threatened to boycott the league, which added to condemnation of the penalty being too lenient from numerous groups that advocate for women and families.

The commissioner told teams to distribute his letter to all players and to post it in locker rooms. “Domestic violence and sexual assault are wrong,” the memo reads in part. “They are illegal. They are never acceptable and have no place in the NFL under any circumstances.”

The letter also stated that violations of the league’s personal conduct policy “regarding assault, battery, domestic violence and sexual assault that involve physical force will be subject to enhanced discipline.”

News of the increased penalties was met with support from “Futures Without Violence” Chief Executive Esta Soler, who met with Goodell last week.

“We particularly applaud your decision to impose tougher penalties, and to give serious consideration to circumstances that may warrant even harsher consequences,” she told the AP in a statement. “We know that this is not an issue that can be addressed overnight, and intimate partner violence will not be eliminated by tougher game penalties alone.”