Transitioning Times

I have been a major fan of football ever since I can remember.  I watched all the “greats” of the game with my Dad when I was little.  Over recent years, I have been seriously shocked with some players regarding their abusive actions and hoped the league and NFL Commissioner would hold them accountable.  The almost weekly accounts of abuse from some players prompted Commissioner Roger Goodell to take a serious look at the issues of domestic violence in the NFL and inspired conversations to bring some much-needed education and awareness to intimate partner violence.  Yet, with all the bad, comes some good.  I was never more impressed with a player than in the 2015 season when I saw William Gay wear those now famous purple shoes.  Finally, someone was taking a stand for anti-violence.  You see, when William was 8 years old, he lost his mother when she was fatally shot three times by his step-father before he killed himself. He said his mother “didn’t kn...

Yesterday, The New York Times published an expose about the relationships that NFL teams have with local law enforcement and how these relationships may leave domestic violence victims without adequate protection.  I highly recommend reading this article.  It examines on e such case in Florida where the abuser/player was allowed to exit through a rear door to avoid reporters, was given a ride from the station, to the team training complex, then to his (and the victim's) residence to gather some belongings.  All this while being escorted by an off-duty law enforcement officer, still in uniform, and operating an unmarked car, which could have been property of the officer or the department.   One of the exercises that bloggers can utilize is to re-write an insensitive or offensive article in the manner you wish the author would have.  I obviously do not believe myself to be a superior writer to Steve Eder, of The New York Times, but I would like to take this...

Domestic Violence in the NFL is a growing concern. A USA Today database that tracks players from 2000 to today showed that there were 87 domestic violence arrests among 80 players. This number may seem low to some, however, an analysis shows that they account for 48% of the violent crimes committed by NFL players. Today there are 12 active players with domestic violence arrests. Over the past few months there had been many instances of domestic violence reports within the NFL. Since the increase of reported cases and criticism, the commissioner, Roger Goodell, has revamped the punishment that is handed down to the NFL personnel, but is it enough? In the past players were suspended for a game or two, and if the charges were reduced the severity of the punishment was reduced. If the charges were dropped, the player’s name was cleared. This surely was not enough, because even though the charges were reduced or dropped doesn’t mean the incident didn’t happen. The new revamped poli...

This summer, much criticism, including our own , was hurled at the NFL for its lack of punishment for Ray Rice, who had criminal charges brought against him due to an act of domestic violence.   On August 28, 2014, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell  sent a letter to all NFL owners stating what they have been doing to rectify the vast differences in punishment for infractions of their policies, particularly their personal conduct policies vs. their drug policies.  I am very thankful that they have listened to the outcry and are trying to make their organization a safer, more respectful place, but there are still many questions to answer.  At the link above, one of the commentators asks if the new punishment would be applied to players who have been charged, but the charges are later dropped.  We know that many domestic violence charges get dropped for a variety of reasons, so this is a very valid question. I also have concerns about the following phrase: ...

It's August and many student athletes around the country are gearing up for fall sports.  Ma'Lik Richmond is one of them .   Ma'Lik Richmond was adjudicated delinquent in March of 2013 of raping a 16 year old girl in Steubenville, Ohio.  Maybe you've heard about it on television, radio, or the internet; basically there was outrage everywhere.   He played in a scrimmage Tuesday.  Is this right?  Is this fair?  That a Tier II sex offender, who must register every 6 months for the next 20 years is permitted to participate on a school district-sanctioned sports team?   At what point does a student's right to an education include extracurricular activities?  When I attended Mifflinburg High School in the early 2000's, if a student violated the Code of Conduct, or refused to sign it, they relinquished their right to participate in extracurricular activities.  And, to be fair, Ma'Lik Richmond was barred from these activities for the bal...