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Bailey Richardson

English 110

Professor Owens

April 13th, 2015

Assignment 5

The NFL’s history of punishing players in domestic violence cases is as complicated as the legal cases themselves. In some cases, players have been suspended for a game or two. Charges were reduced in a lot of cases, which also reduced the severity of the NFL punishment, and in other cases, the charges were dropped and the players’ names were cleared. Why does there seem to be a pattern of leniency in punishing players for domestic violence? Aside from the court system, the NFL has their own policies regarding on and off field behavior. Players are required to abide by these rules, and there are different consequences dependent upon each situation. Within the actual league, discipline is initiated by the commissioner: Roger Goodell, who has been commissioner since 2006. The commissioner may impose fines and other appropriate discipline for certain misconduct and violations of the league’s policies. Needless to say, the NFL has their own way of dealing with things, whether the situation is being handled as a legal case or not. On a basic level, it appears as though the league’s policies and commissioner initiated discipline programs are both in favor of the prevention and rehabilitation of domestic violence; however, after researching the players’ track records, it is obvious that domestic violence crimes have been, and still are, swept under the rug. The NFL’s history of leniency towards domestic violence continues to repeat itself. Many players received little to no punishment for the crimes by receiving dismissed/appealed charges or commissioner initiated discipline that commonly has been no more strenuous than a paid leave or a 2-game suspension. Even though the crime doesn’t change, these consequences display a less negative image than going to jail or prison. These overly-tolerant reactions to the players’ participation in domestic violence over the years have...