NOW NFL Announces Harsher Punishments For Domestic Violence

[Giantmetfan07]

In a letter to NFL owners Thursday, the league announced that it will levy stiffer sanctions for domestic violence offenses: Six games for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second offense, reports CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.
 
According to ESPN.com's Jane McManus, players facing a lifetime ban would be able to apply for reinstatement under the new policy.

The change comes a month after the NFL suspended Ravens running back Ray Rice two games for a physical incident with his soon-to-be wife at an Atlantic City hotel last February. In March, Rice was indicted on one count of aggravated assault, and by May, Rice had been accepted into a pretrial intervention program, which meant that he will avoid prosecution and possible jail time.
 
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was criticized for what many considered to be lenient sanctions against Rice. And U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) sent letters to Goodell calling for Rice to face a harsher sanctions beyond the two-game suspension handed down by the league.
 
In late July, NFL vice president Adolpho Birch called Rice's punishment "appropriate," and days later Goodell explained that, "We have a very firm policy that domestic violence is not acceptable in the NFL. I think what's important here is Ray is taking responsibility. He's been accountable for his actions."
 
But in the letter to NFL owners Thursday, Goodell admitted that "I didn't get it right."
 
The Washington Post reported two weeks ago that the league was considering tougher measures.
 
A lot of us were disturbed by what we saw," a source told the Post at the time regarding the Rice case. "I think you will see something in probably the next few weeks. ... We need to have stricter penalties. I think you will see that. I believe the commissioner and others would like to see stricter penalties. We need to be more vigilant."
 
In a press conference days after the punishment was announced, Rice was asked if missing two games was fair.
 
"I don't have any control over what the punishment was," the Ravens running back said at the time. "I'm being punished on a day-to-day basis. No football games or money was going to determine what I have to live with the rest of my life. ... I never planned on appealing the punishment ... all I do know is that we went through the whole legal process, the commissioner process and whatever was decided was out of my control."
 
You can read Goodell's letter to the owners here.

 

 

 

 

[Fuhgeddaboudit]

Social media.
 
How far it goes....People rose the issue and look what happened

 

[elcheato]

And all it took was Goodell to be eviscerated by the media and fans consistently for months. Appears to be the only way to get change in the NFL. 

 

[Teagz]

The Ray Rice policy.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Social media.
 
How far it goes....People rose the issue and look what happened

 
Also helps when senators get involved. Even though Chris Murphy is utterly useless and was just following Blumenthal's steps, it helps speed up the process. 

 

[RipCity32]

Well, better late than never I suppose. 

 

[Shaggy]

There is good an bad that comes with this.  Its great that it will help deter players from beating their wives, families, and so on.  It could also have bad effects to.  A girlfriend could blackmail or take revenge on a player and claim to have been beaten by the player and have him dropped by the league or extort them for cash.  Guess it all depends on what the courts finds in evidence but it could lead to this.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Doubt it. Can easily be disputed based on medical records. 

 

[footballplaya52]

ray should have to sit 6