September 9, 2014 6:17 AM

Things you'll rarely hear in the same sentence: "NFL" and "ethics"

ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter was on SportsCenter this morning to comment on TMZ’s appalling video of Ray Rice knocking out his fiancée. Considering how violent the crime, the world is justifiably outraged that Roger Goodell gave Ray Rice a laughable slap-on-the-wrist two-game suspension. Adam Schefter unleashed his ire at the NFL this morning…. “It comes down to this: If the NFL had seen that video and suspended Ray Rice for two games, then it’s an embarrassment of the highest proportion. And if it didn’t seen the video before, then it’s time to go back and revisit it…. “There’s not a lot that the league can say that at this point will undo the wrong that has been done here. The league got this wrong. Roger Goodell admitted that he got this wrong. This is arguably the biggest black eye the league has ever had.

I’m not one to wax poetic about the integrity and journalistic ethics of sportswriters. Having been one myself for a couple years, I know that far too many sports scribes are emotionally stunted and out of touch with anything vaguely resembling reality. That said, I’ve admired ESPN’s Adam Schefter as something of an anomaly. Given the amount of money ESPN has invested in their TV contract with the NFL, it would be understandable if Schefter acted the role of faithful corporate mouthpiece. To his credit, his journalistic ethics and his nose for a story are top-notch and not for sale. He’s taken the NFL to task on numerous occasions when he feels they’ve gotten it wrong…never more so than with the Ray Rice story.

There are no winners in the saga of Rice’s disgusting episode of domestic violence directed at his then fiancée (now wife), Janay Palmer. New video from the elevator they were in shows conclusively that Rice not only assaulted Palmer, he knocked her unconscious. To say that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell got it wrong would be to give him far too much credit. A two game suspension was a joke, indicative of a commissioner who just doesn’t grasp that violence against women is intolerable. Schefter was justifiably unhappy with Goodell’s initial handling of Rice’s case, but yesterday morning he was positively apoplectic…in a very professional way.

If you’ve seen the latest video, I suspect you’ll agree with me that it’s as disgusting as it is intolerable. There’s an argument to be made for Rice being behind bars, not serving a slap on the wrist two game suspension. Goodell could have set a clear and decisive tone from the start, making it clear that the NFL would have no tolerance for players or coaches or anyone else associated with the league who’s guilty of violence against women. Instead, he dished out a tepid punishment that sent a clear message to women: you’re on your own if you’re involved with someone employed but the NFL.

Schefter reserved particular scorn for the Baltimore Ravens, who treated him like a hero who’d been issued a traffic ticket.

“The Ravens, also, accompanied Ray Rice to New York to the league meeting, opened their training facility for him to conduct a press conference, penned tributes to him on their website, supported him through this process. It is difficult to watch this video and bring those ideas together that anybody who could see anybody act like that could support any person. If anybody in this company or any company out there ever did what he did, do you think they’d be working for that company much longer? It’s hard to imagine that.”

Schefter’s spot on, of course. If you or I had been guilty of such violently criminal behavior, we’d like be out of a job (and behind bars) posthaste…and deservedly so. Ray Rice beats and knocks out a woman…and he’s suspended for two games and treated by his employer with a reverence reserved for those who’ve served our country with distinction and honor. Except that there’s nothing honorable about Rice’s crime…or the NFL’s handling of it.

Yesterday, after the new videotape emerged and reality could no longer be massaged and soft-pedaled by the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens cut Rice…and Roger Goodell announced that his suspension had been upgraded to “indefinite.” Sure, they did the right thing…far too late to have any hope of retaining any credibility. If not for the new video, Rice would have been able to play for the Ravens in Week 3. Goodell did the right thing when there was no other option available to him. That’s not something to be lauded.

With justice having finally been done, the question becomes what becomes of Ray Rice now. In a society built on second chances, does Rice deserve to eventually be considered by an NFL team. Outside the question of whether Rice will be too radioactive for any team to employ, will he be allowed the opportunity to prove that he’s been rehabilitated, that’s he’s learned, improved, and become a better person? Or do we wash our hands of him and walk away?

I don’t have the answer to that question, and I’m not going to pretend to. What I do know is that Adam Schefter gave voice to what many Americans have been feeling about this nightmare. The NFL needs to ensure that the next case- and there will be one- is handled swiftly, decisively, and clearly. Players must understand that violence between the lines is one thing; it’s something very different outside them.

There are no winners in this story. We can only hope that people take away the lesson the violence against women is intolerable and wrong. I suppose we’ll have to leave the question of second chances for another day.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on September 9, 2014 6:17 AM.

WTF is wrong with America? I'm glad you asked. was the previous entry in this blog.

Equality: I know, huh?? What a radical concept! is the next entry in this blog.

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