The Ray Rice mess seems to have opened an avalanche of domestic violence cases in the NFL ~ and the NFL has done a particularly crappy/inept job of dealing with both the issues and the players involved, which is not surprising to me since the NFL boasts it's "a man's game" ~ not surprising, but horrifying in its total rejection/avoidance of responsibility ~ Jon Stewart had an excellent episode yesterday, ripping the NFL to shreds ~ Sooz

TPM LIVEWIRE
Jon Stewart: The NFL Doesn't 'Know What The F*ck They're Doing'
By Daniel Strauss Published September 18, 2014, 8:09 AM EDT

Comedian Jon Stewart ripped into the National Football League as it continues to struggle with players involved in domestic violence scandals.

Stewart started out his segment Wednesday night going after Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy who is at the center of a domestic violence case. Hardy was convicted of assault and making threatening statements against the victim. But, Stewart said, the Panthers only announced Wednesday that he "is done…until he appeals his misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence."

"It's the kind of firm decision making we've come to expect from people who don't know what the f*ck they're doing," Stewart said.

The NFL has also appointed a group of women to oversee its efforts to reduce domestic violence among its players.

"You know your business model is in rough shape when you have to appoint your own in-house special victims unit," Jon Stewart said.

Then Stewart pivoted to the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson who has been indefinitely suspended from the team after he was indicted on a child injury charge. That suspension came after a back-and-forth in which Peterson was benched and then reinstated.

"You need time to make sure you get this right?!" Stewart said paraphrasing a report on Peterson. "A 220 pound running back left railroad tracks on a 4-year-old's leg! This ain't Fermat's Last Theorem!"

All this back-and-forth made Stewart wonder "what does a stupid person think of this?" He then played a clip of Sean Hannity warning that it could become illegal for someone to tell their child that it's not normal to be gay.

"Seriously, your special brand of spiteful ignorance will always be legal," Stewart said to Hannity. "And profitable, so sleep well, friend."

Watch Stewart's segment below:


http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jon-stewart-nfl-doesn-t-know-what-they-re-doing

And the violence goes on ~ and on ~ and on ~ ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

Another NFL running back arrested for domestic violence
Arturo Garcia | 17 Sep 2014

Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested as part of a domestic violence investigation on Wednesday, becoming the latest pro football player at that position to get into trouble with the law, Sports Illustrated reported.

Dwyer, who is in his first year with Arizona, was charged with aggravated assault and preventing someone from calling 911.

This story has been updated. Please see below.

KTAR-TV reported that Dwyer, who is married with one child, was pulled from the team’s practice to answer investigators’ questions regarding an alleged fight with his wife that took place “a while ago.” The alleged victim reportedly saved records of injuries she suffered at the time.

Dwyer’s arrest came hours after the Minnesota Vikings placed running back Adrian Peterson on the league’s “exempt list” — effectively suspending him with pay — following allegations of child abuse in two separate incidents involving two of his sons.

Also on Wednesday, the NFL Players’ Association filed an appeal challenging the indefinite suspension commissioner Roger Goodell levied against former Baltimore Raven Ray Rice. Rice was punished and cut by the team following the publication of footage showing him knocking out then-fiancee Janay Palmer in an Atlantic City casino elevator, an incident that propelled the league’s handling of domestic violence cases into the national spotlight.

Update, 8:36 p.m. EST: KTVK-TV reported that Dwyer was arrested in connection with a pair of incidents this past July. The victims were described as a 27-year-old woman and an 18-month-old child. Dwyer has also been deactivated from the Cardinals.

Watch KTVK’s report on Dwyer’s arrest, as aired on Wednesday, below. [Sooz says video accessible via the end link]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/another-nfl-running-back-arrested-for-domestic-violence/

I'm not exactly sure why the NFL should be held to account for domestic violence issues when the problem is in weak to non-existant laws.

Absolutely amazing how all of this is being handled. Talk about a cluster ...........

It's almost immaterial if the laws are "weak to non-existant" ~ what IS material is that the players are ultimately the NFL's employees ~ any employer is obligated, morally if not legally, to not endorse criminal behavior ~ I read somewhere that NFL advertisers are feeling public pressure as well ~ if football is "a man's game", then the league and the players should act like MEN and denounce DV ~ actions, just like words, must and often do have consequences ~

Sooz

Some of the worst offenders are cops. I don't hear of them getting fired and dragged through the press.

C'mon, oskar ~ plenty of cops get raked over the coals and some have been fired or forced into retirement or "allowed to resign" ~ the NFL is enormously successful because of the public ~ that success comes with a price ~

Sooz

I am 100% sure that if Ray Rice worked for say IBM, that video would not be online, he'd be in his PTL program, he would still have his job, and the mandated counseling would either work or not work. IBM would not be on the hot seat for mishandling the situation.

Domestic violence is not just an NFL program. It happens in all walks of life.

But the NFL really both mishandled this and the Adrian Peterson case (which I think is even more disgusting).

In reality, I think the fans may grouse but they will NOT turn off their TVs. Last Thursday's night opening games was Ravens/Steelers and the ratings were through the roof.

I am a little peeved about Anheuser-Busch's stance btw. They sell beer. As Jon Stewart said, alcohol has a strong correlation with domestic violence. They play a role here too, instead of grousing that there is now stink on football because of this incidence, kick in and help!!!!

The NFL has sold a certain image to the public and its advertisers. It puts itself out there as caring about women and children, supporting breast cancer issues, Play 60 health and wellness for children, visiting children's hospitals, supporting youth organizations, and broadcasting public service announcements. They created and sold that image, and they need to protect it by firing or silencing their employees who tarnish that image. They can also advance improvements in the public perception and response to violence against women and children. Ultimately, this may be a way to begin to change attitudes of their millions of fans.

Everyone who commits an act of domestic violence should not lose their job. Unemployed workers who cannot support their families does not help the cause. Police probably should mot be able to work in the field if they are engaging in abusing their partners and children. But I don't agree with Sooz that employing someone somehow endorses criminal behavior. If more criminals could get jobs, they would be less likely to continue being criminals but if they are unemployed, they have few other choices. But I do think the NFL has to respond, even with terminating their employment, because they are hurting the brand and the image of the employer. If a federal office worker hits his wife, it does not tarnish the employer and it could further victimize the wife as her income is adversely affected, she may lose her insurance, and there could even be children who are affected.

I have a pink Eagles Breast Cancer hat and T-shirt. I would be happy to buy a purple Domestic Violence awareness/prevention set. I also think Ray Rice and all the current DV NFL stars should be part of the DV treatment plans in their communities if they want to keep their jobs. If I was in charge this would be part of PTL for NFL participants. It might spur a positive change. "If Ray Rice can learn Anger Management, I can too."

I should have been more clear, queenie ~ I did not say "... that employing someone somehow endorses criminal behavior" ~ what I said was "any employer is obligated, morally if not legally, to not endorse criminal behavior" ~ what I meant by that was since the NFL relies on the public for its enormous wealth, it is in a position where it must speak and act forcefully to prove it is anti-domestic violence or it will be viewed as endorsing DV ~

I'm not sure that's more clear ~

Sooz

That's pretty much what is happening with the Bears Brandon Marshall right now ~ and it's hitting the news ~ Marshall has been with the Bears since [I think] 2012 ~ several years earlier, he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and involved in a number of DV incidents, all of which were dismissed ~ I'm not sure why the incidents were dismissed, just that they were ~ according to my local NBC affiliate last night, the Bears staff was quoted as saying they knew about Marshall's history before taking him on, that there have been no further incidents with Marshall since joining the Bears, and that he is working diligently to overcome his diagnosis and to change his life ~

I'm thinking Baltimore canceling Rice's contract was too harsh, especially without even trying to support him emotionally to see if therapy could/would help and turn him around ~ I'm thinking suspending him for this year might have been more productive ~ but, as I said above, "actions, just like words, must and often do have consequences" ~

Sooz

I think the indefinite suspension was a kneejerk reaction to the brutality of the video and the public reaction. I'm thinking a year suspension(2014-2015 season) and community service would work better actually.

The NFL has tons of power and could be a force for good here.

Thank you.

kathy1024: And I am 100% sure that if Ray Rice worked for IBM he wouldn't be making anywhere near the kind of money Rice is, from a job that is no where near reliant on public scrutiny that Rice's job is. It's the fact that Rice is a player in a spectator sport with broad public appeal that creates the social environment where the video would be played and the consequences of his actions would be that severe. Fair? I don't know. What's "fair" in the world these days?

It's all about appearances and not about good conduct.

Got to protect that revenue stream.

Yep. They're just like the banksters and fraudsters.

Mishandled from the get-go ~ the full report, live-linked below, is a scorcher ~ ~ Sooz

TPM LIVEWIRE
Report: Team Knew Details Of Ray Rice Abuse From The Beginning
By Tom Kludt Published September 20, 2014, 9:48 AM EDT

The Baltimore Ravens engaged in "purposeful misdirection" while the NFL took an "uncharacteristically passive approach" in the investigation of Ray Rice's domestic violence, according to an explosive report from ESPN's "Outside the Lines."

According to the report, a lengthy tick-tock that details the sordid saga from the start seven months ago, Ravens personnel was aware of what the now-infamous elevator surveillance footage showed mere hours after Rice punched his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, and knocked her unconscious.


The report also reiterates that Rice told NFL commissioner Roger Goodell what transpired inside the casino elevator. Goodell said in an interview earlier this month that Rice had provided an "ambiguous" account of the events.

At a press conference on Friday, Goodell said he has not considered resigning.

In a statement, the Ravens disputed the report, which was based on interviews with more than 20 sources in the past 11 days, saying it "contains numerous errors, inaccuracies, false assumptions and, perhaps, misunderstandings."

Read the full "OTL" report here.

With the arbitrator clearly labeling Roger Goodell a liar, the focus shifts back to the NFL ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original ~ Sooz

Federal Judge Finds Goodell’s Story Was A Lie, Immediately Reinstates Ray Rice To NFL
by Judd Legum Posted on November 28, 2014 at 5:06 pm

An arbitrator has reinstated former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who had been suspended indefinitely for a brutal domestic violent incident, to the NFL, effective immediately.

Rice is accused of assaulting his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, at an Atlantic City hotel last February. Initially, a video was released showing Rice dragging Palmer on conscious out of the casino elevator immediately following the alleged assault. In June, the NFL heard from Rice during a disciplinary hearing and suspended him for two games.

In September, TMZ acquired video from inside the elevator showing the assault itself.

Following the release of the video, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed that Rice misled the league about what had transpired in the elevator. Goodell told CBS News that “when we met with Ray Rice and his representatives, it was ambiguous about what actually happened.” He said in a league letter that the video depicted an incident that was “starkly different” than the account relayed to him by Ray Rice.

Goodell said the “new information” in the video justified revising Rice’s punishment and suspended him indefinitely.

But a federal judge, in an arbitration proceeding, rejected Goodell’s claims and found that Rice was truthful in the June proceeding. U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones found that “Rice did not mislead the Commissioner at the June 16th meeting, and therefore, that the imposition of a second suspension based on the same incident and the same known facts about the incident, was arbitrary.” Jones found that the Commissioner was not “fair or consistent” in his punishment. She also admonished the league for their failure to take domestic violence more seriously, prior to a public backlash.

ESPN personality Bill Simmons was suspended in October for calling Goodell “a liar.” Simmons claim, however, was backed up by ESPN’s own reporting and, now, a federal judge.

http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2014/11/28/3597559/judge-finds-goodells-story-was-a-lie-immediately-reinstates-ray-rice-to-nfl/

It's often said that "confession is good for the soul" ~ I wonder if that holds true when the confession is accidental ~ this is nothing more than damage control on steroids ~ ~ Sooz

NFL Owner Admits League’s New Domestic Violence Policy Is A Public Relations Ploy
by Travis Waldron Posted on December 10, 2014 at 3:51 pm Updated: December 11, 2014 at 8:45 am

The National Football League’s owners ratified a new personal conduct policy Wednesday afternoon, and it took league representatives less than an hour to admit that the new reforms, enhanced in the wake of several high-profile domestic violence scandals, were little more than a public relations ploy.

The new policy doesn’t add new punishments — it enshrines the new punishments Goodell laid out in August — but it outlines a new process for delivering them. A flow chart detailing the policy is on the NFL’s web site, while ESPN has Goodell’s memo to owners.

In short, the new policy establishes a process in which any player who is “formally charged with a violent crime or sexual assault” will immediately go on paid leave. Players can also be put on paid leave in the absence of charges if an independent NFL investigation “finds sufficient credible evidence that it appears a violation of the policy has occurred.” Paid leave will last until the end of an NFL investigation or the conclusion of the legal process, at which point the NFL can hand down discipline. Players can then file an appeal, and the appeal process will include a hearing in front of a new expert panel that can make recommendations to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell will ultimately have the authority to make the final decision on any discipline.

It’s that last part that is most contentious, because aside from the NFL revising this policy without player input, it is Goodell’s ultimate authority to hear appeals that the NFL Players Association opposes most. The union, which according to spokesperson George Atallah was not included in development of the new policy, wanted appeals to automatically go in front of an independent arbitrator.

And it is on that point where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was on the committee that helped design the new policy, gave away the game.

The owners, Kraft said at a Wednesday press conference, considered handing that authority to an independent arbitrator. But they ultimately decided, he said, that an arbitrator was a “one-off” figure who “can compromise or water down what our best interests are.” Instead, the owners left the authority with Goodell because the commissioner is “the one person who understands the long-term best interests of the game,” Kraft said.

It is almost impossible, given the events of the last six months, to see that as anything but an admission that this is about public relations. That’s exactly what “the best interests of the game” are.

The Rice case became a PR nightmare for the NFL, largely because of the way Goodell handled it. The commissioner initially suspended Rice for two games — a lighter suspension than NFL players receive for comparably minuscule crimes — then, after public and media backlash against the league (thanks in part to the release of a video showing Rice punching his wife, and the NFL’s bungling of that too), revisited the Rice disciplinary case and suspended him indefinitely. In the midst of similar public backlash, it willy-nillyed its way to a full season suspension of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who was charged with child abuse, too.

In November, after months of wrangling between Rice and the NFL, an independent arbitrator overturned the harsher second suspension. There’s at least a chance that Peterson’s suspension is going to get tossed too. Independent arbitration was not guaranteed in either case; in both instances, the NFLPA asked for independent arbitration and the NFL agreed.

The lesson the NFL took out of this, then, is that not that its disciplinary procedures are out of whack; that it overstepped its bounds in an attempt to mitigate public backlash to its own bungling of the Rice case; that a carefully-bargained policy with player and union input might prevent that in the future; or even that, perhaps, it shouldn’t be in the business of positioning itself as our nation’s moral arbiter.

The lesson it took, instead, is that to prevent another public relations crisis, it needed to consolidate its power and bring down even harsher punishments. In the best interests of the league.

To the NFL’s credit, there are underlying non-disciplinary elements of the revised policy Goodell announced in August that are improvements. But the disciplinary policy itself is not meant to seriously address domestic violence and sexual assault within the league. Rather, it is about giving off the perception that the NFL takes these incidents seriously — or at least more seriously than it took the Rice case — in order to avoid the type of months-long PR crisis it faced this fall.

(Further evidence this is a PR-driven reform: Goodell sat down with the Wall Street Journal to produce a puff piece about how he “blew it” during the Rice case. It was conveniently published Wednesday morning, hours before the NFL owners unanimously approved the new policy.)

It’s not hard to envision what this sort of approach will lead to. As I’ve argued before, the absence of any player input in these decisions will virtually ensure that the disciplinary process turns into a battle over labor rights and NFL discipline. They will look a lot like what the Rice and Peterson cases have looked like so far. That isn’t an accident on the NFL’s part. It is a useful by-product. A negotiated process or an independent arbitrator who reins in its authority only get in the way of Goodell and the league’s desire to wield the policy as a tool against players.

Which should be a reminder that Kraft wasn’t being dishonest. This sort of policy is in the NFL’s best interests. It positions the league, publicly anyway, to make it look as if it is taking domestic violence and sexual assault seriously, while the NFLPA and any player it represents who fight these decisions will look callous and gross by comparison (see: Adrian Peterson). That’s good for the public image of the league. And, while at least part of Goodell and his owners might be sincere about taking these incidents seriously, there should be no mistake: good for the public image of the league is exactly what this new policy is designed to be.

http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2014/12/10/3602006/nfl-owner-admits-leagues-new-personal-conduct-policy-is-a-public-relations-ploy/

The NFL is just another corporation whose sole interest is in making money.