From Scarlet Knight to Scarlet Letter: How the NFL Fumbled the Ray Rice Situation

From Scarlet Knight to Scarlet Letter: How the NFL Fumbled the Ray Rice Situation

 

 

 

As of today, September 9th, 2014 we all know the details of the Ray Rice incident in Atlantic City. What we don’t know is how much of this information the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens had before TMZ made it public yesterday. Both claim that they had not seen the tape before the public was made aware of it yesterday and maybe they are telling the truth, but the fact of the matter is that this issue has been handled so poorly and neither Roger Goodell nor the Ravens organization can be taken seriously anymore.

Let’s start with the Ravens. Since the incident came out they stood behind Rice, letting the public know that this is not part of his character and the events were instigated by both parties and they were working through them. Let that sink in for a moment. At no point did this organization hold Rice accountable and went so far as to blame the victim as much as Rice himself. I don’t care what Janay Rice was doing short of causing an immediate threat to her husband’s life, (then his fiancée) she deserves absolutely no blame in this. Plenty of couples fight and plenty of wives may get upset to the point of a slap, but that is not carte blanche for the man to then lay a hand on her. Now back to the Ravens. It really should not come as a surprise that they have acted this way being the abysmal franchise they have been for years. The same franchise who has immortalized an accomplice to murder with a statue.  The same franchise that basically forced an apology out of a domestic violence victim, making her take blame for being knocked out by her husband in that elevator. From top to bottom there should be a complete overhaul of this franchise.

Now let’s move on to Roger Goodell. Since the beginning of his tenure as commissioner he has done nothing but fumble away every important decision he has had to make, yet he still finds himself with a job, and in charge of the biggest American sports league to boot. Whether it was Bounty Gate, this elevator incident, or his complete lack of common sense when it comes to marijuana suspensions, Goodell has made a mockery of himself and the league every step of the way. He handled the Saints Bounty Gate so badly that the guy who used to have his job had to come in and clean up his mess. Goodell running the NFL is comparable to putting a baby who developed early and can walk and talk before everyone else in charge of Google. This incident alone isn’t cause to kick him out the door but it certainly is the cherry on top of the screw up sundae he’s been serving for years.

Goodell and the Ravens can claim they didn’t see the tape before TMZ released it, and they could very well be telling the truth, but here’s my question to them…What exactly did you think happened in that elevator? The original footage we saw was of the elevator door opening and Rice dragging his unconscious fiancée out of it by her shoulders like she was a bag of laundry he didn’t feel like carrying. He was arrested for assault, and yes, later released, but once again, assault arrest plus unconscious victim does not equal a “you are getting very sleepy” hypnosis routine. We didn’t need to see what happened in the elevator to know that Rice was a scumbag who should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and gotten hit with more than a two game suspension for his actions.

Rice finally was released by the Ravens and suspended by the NFL indefinitely after the footage was released because the NFL realized it was now backed into a corner and had no choice. Rice will avoid jail time, he will go to counseling and therapy, claim to be a changed man and in one year be back in the league because some idiotic team in desperate need of some rushing yards will take a flyer on him. So what exactly can we learn from all of this? It’s pretty simple actually, smoking weed is bad, but being an accomplice to murder is fine. Popping a molly is bad, but popping Molly in her jaw? Sure, that’s fine too. It’s The National Football Way.