September 18, 2014 9:35 AM

The NFL's problem is its long-term acceptance of wife beaters and child abusers

When you consider the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson sagas, it’s not difficult to come away with the impression that the NFL has a violence problem. It’s a disturbing dilemma for a league whose product is predicated upon controlled mayhem. Whether it’s violence against women or children, the NFL has over the years clearly condoned and coddled players who can’t restrict their predilection towards violent behavior between the lines. Simply put, the NFL enables bullies- those whose victims are unable to fight back or defend themselves on level terms. This season isn’t the first time it’s been revealed that the NFL is home to criminals and thugs (I’m shocked- SHOCKED!!- that there’s criminal activity taking place.). It IS the first time this problem has come to light in a manner demanding something be done to address it instead of the usual wink and nod of acquiescence.

The Minnesota Vikings (Full disclosure: I grew up in northern Minnesota, and I’ve been a Vikings fan since I was old enough to know what a football was) have a problem on their hands. A mediocre team under the best of circumstances, Adrian Peterson has for years been their best player- a Pro Bowl running back with an electric, game-changing style that gives them a chance to win every week. Now that it’s come to light that he’s beaten two of his children (That’s just how he was raised), the Vikings still desperately need him on the field. The team’s management just hasn’t figured out how to handle the revelation that their star is a child abuser.

When Peterson’s indictment for beating one of his children came to light, the Vikings were in a bind. They need him on the field in order to have any chance of being anything other than a guaranteed “W” for their opponents…but the PR nightmare wasn’t about to go away anytime soon, and it quickly grew to epic proportions. They finally had little choice but to suspend Peterson for this past weekend’s loss to New England. After the game, it was announced the Vikings were reinstating him so he could be in the lineup when they play at New Orleans on Sunday.

Then the $#!& really hit the fan….

Less than two days after saying that Adrian Peterson would play this weekend, the Minnesota Vikings ceded to public pressure on Wednesday and barred their star running back from the team while he deals with his arrest in Texas for beating his 4-year-old son.

The reversal, announced around 1 a.m. in Minnesota, came after the Vikings were stridently criticized by fans, women’s groups and team sponsors who said the team was insensitive to the issue of domestic violence.

The team said that Peterson, who was accused of disciplining his son with a switch, or a small tree branch, would be placed on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list and would have to stay away from all team activities.

Facing the loss of sponsors (Radisson Hotels suspended their sponsorship on Monday- ironic considering that the backdrop behind GM Rick Spielman at Monday’s press conference prominently featured Radisson’s logo) and public goodwill, the Vikings reversed course Tuesday and indefinitely suspended Peterson, barring him from all team-related activities.

The Vikings had little option; the firestorm created by news of Peterson’s child beating became impossible to ignore. When the Governor of Minnesota (Like most NFL teams, the Vikings play in a stadium paid for with public funds) called for Peterson’s suspension, the team’s predicament became untenable. By placing him on indefinite suspension, Vikings management tacitly admitted that they have a PR nightmare on their hands…and they’re not at all certain how to manage it.

“While we were trying to make a balanced decision yesterday, after further reflection we have concluded that this resolution is best for the Vikings and for Adrian,” Zygi and Mark Wilf, the team owners, said in a statement. “We want to be clear: we have a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children, and we want to be sure we get this right.”

Minnesota is the same franchise that had to deal with accusations of anti-gay slurs being used by an assistant coach that Chris Kluwe, their former punter, alleged led to his being released. Kluwe, a vocal advocate for marriage equality and LGBT rights, claimed his support embarrassed the team, causing them to sever ties with him. Vikings management still denies that Kluwe was released for anything but a decline in performance, but they did agree to a substantial out of court settlement with him, leaving observers to make of that what they will.

I love the Vikings; I always have. I’d be lying were I not to admit that their recent “issues” have tested that lifelong devotion. I find myself wondering why and how my team could have strayed so badly…or whether it’s always been thus and just now coming to light. The team’s owner, Zygi Wilf, has to his credit made it clear that he and his family want to be certain they do the right thing. Whether or not that’s what happens remains to be seen, but it’s a start.

Beyond any parochial issues, the NFL has a problem in a very global sense. Now that sponsors are begin to express concern, the league needs to determine how to proceed…and the decision of what to do and how to do it will be crucial to the future of America’s obsession. From where I sit, the problem is simple, even if the solution may not be immediately self-evident:

How can the NFL deal with talented athletes who may prove themselves unable to distinguish between acceptable mayhem and violence on the field and the need to refrain from seeking violent resolutions off it? I’m just glad my name isn’t Roger Goodell.

Your move, Commissioner.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on September 18, 2014 9:35 AM.

American Exceptionalism is...sometimes not so exceptional was the previous entry in this blog.

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