At least... Until today. I was on Facebook when a friend messaged me to talk about Ray Rice, since he had just been suspended not minutes before this conversation. It didn't occur to me that people had a different opinion on the situation until she said something to the tune of "I saw people arguing that it was his personal life and he shouldn't be punished professionally because of it."
................. I just need a minute to think about this, because that sentence got me horribly fired up.
I suppose I could understand that argument, maybe for any common person. Your average Joe as it were...
But for a professional football player? A celebrity? Not only does he represent the Baltimore Ravens organization, he represents the NFL. So you're telling me, that a man who represents two organizations of that size, shouldn't be punished for knocking a woman out and dragging her limp body off an elevator? That's alright for him to do, and still continue making all the money that he makes?
Exactly where would he learn his lesson from this? Oh yes, Goodell, let me give you a round of applause for your whopping two game suspension. Here. Let me just give you a ruler and you can crack it across his knuckles while you're at it. That'll teach him!
No. False. This is ridiculous. This man got into a career that put him in the spot light. It made him a celebrity. Ray Rice, just like any other human being on this planet, needs to be held responsible for his actions. You know what I like most about all of this? Even the other football players in the league feel this way! My favorite tweet so far came from Chris Harris from the Denver Broncos....
The NFL should have zero tolerance for domestic violence. There is never a reason for any man to be violent towards any woman.
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) September 8, 2014
Honestly, I can't even say that is my favorite tweet so far. There are so many players who are outraged by the way the NFL has responded to this incident.
Domestic violence is a major issue in the world. For people to argue that "what he does in his spare time shouldn't effect his playing career"... I have no words for you. I'm not saying you're supporting what he did, but I'm saying you need to rethink the people your children are looking up to as role models.
Let me share some domestic violence facts for this post... I gathered this information from Safe Horizon and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime
- An estimated 1.3 million are victims of an assault by their partner each year.
- Domestic violence does not just happen to women - it happens to men too. But the percentage of women impacted is significantly higher than men.
- Children who witness this behavior are more likely to repeat it.
- Children are also likely to intervene, which in turn puts them in harms way.
- Less than one fifth of the victims who reported an assault by their partner sought medical treatment.
Those facts don't even begin to cover the amount of information that is available about domestic violence here in the United States. It is a real issue, right here in our backyards. In our neighborhoods. In our cities. And you want to try and tell me that what celebrities do in their "down time" shouldn't impact their careers? You want to tell me that this should be brushed under the rug and ignored?
Let me put it this way.... I don't care who you are. Domestic violence is a serious issue, and one that has gone so far as to kill people who are too scared to seek help because they are afraid for their lives, as they obviously should have been. It is something that needs to be stopped. If an organization like the NFL is going to permit men to play, and not enforce a zero tolerance policy, then you can bet I am walking away from their organization. Letting that happen is indirectly saying "It's ok! It doesn't matter what you do when you're off the field! You still have a job when you show up." Honestly, that is not alright with me. Not with the money those men make and the lack of consequences they get for it happening.
I could go on forever on this topic. Please feel free to argue or add your own commentary. I've always been open to any additional comments. But just the inkling of an idea that people think he should still be allowed to play, simply infuriates me.
