Family violence hits NFL
Issue tarnishes league, threatens commissioner
Barely one month after Roger Goodell took over as NFL commissioner in September 2006, he sat in a suite at Candlestick Park during a 49ers-Raiders game. Goodell had a long talk with sociologist Harry Edwards, who warned him that players’ personal conduct would become the defining issue of his tenure.
Eight years later, those words ring disturbingly true.
Domestic violence, specifically, threatens Goodell’s leadership of the most popular spectator sport in the United States. The explosive video released last week — showing Baltimore
running back Ray Rice viciously punching Janay Palmer, then his fiancee and now his wife — shined a bright light on the NFL’s domestic abuse problem.
This stretches beyond Rice and 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald, who was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence Aug. 31 in San Jose. One recent report detailed 56 domestic abuse allegations against NFL players since Goodell became commissioner.
‘A systemic issue’
Another report, on the ESPN-affiliated website FiveThirtyEight, noted that the NFL arrest rate relative to the national average, since 2000, is higher in domestic violence (55.4 percent) than any other category. League arrest rates remain well below the national average, the report said, but the relative rate for domestic violence is more than four times higher than the rate for all offenses.
As former NFL linebacker Scott Fujita tweeted last week, “This isn’t a one-person problem at all. It’s a systemic issue dating back many, many years.”
Edwards, a sociology professor emeritus at UC Berkeley and longtime 49ers consultant, pointed to alcohol as the leading factor. Other experts cited lack of education and training among NFL players in dealing with emotional issues, football’s inherently violent nature, and possibly the lingering effects of concussions as also contributing to the problem.
Virtually all agreed that NFL players, like other celebrities and public figures, wield enormous influence.
“Countless thousands of young people take their cue from these paragons of masculinity,” Edwards said. “If Chris Brown, the hip-hop artist, is beating up on Rihanna, young people think it’s OK to do it. If Ray Rice decked his girlfriend, then it’s OK.”
Nearly 1 in 3 women in the United States has been physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Edwards called it the No. 1 human rights issue in American society today.
Ruth Glenn, interim executive director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, confronts the problem regularly. Glenn said she became sick to her stomach when she saw the Rice video and couldn’t bring herself to watch again.
She was hesitant to single out one organization or factor, but she also understands the widespread reach of professional football.
“I do believe the NFL is a male-dominated, patriarchal culture,” Glenn said. “But I think being in the NFL is just one of many possible risk factors. With domestic violence, we’re talking about an individual who makes the choice to maintain control over someone.”
As the NFL reels from these domestic violence cases, another prominent player found himself facing charges for allegedly harming his 4-year-old son. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was indicted by a Texas grand jury Friday on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. Peterson posted bond early Saturday and was released.
The latest incident only magnifies the scrutiny on Goodell and his handling of offthe-field player misconduct. The commissioner, in a letter to NFL owners on Aug. 28, acknowledged he “didn’t get it right” when he originally suspended Rice for only two games. The Ravens released Rice on Monday, after the video of his devastating punch went viral, and Goodell suspended him indefinitely.
Rice avoided legal prosecution by entering a diversion program.
Goodell, in his letter to owners, amended league guidelines to impose a six-game suspension on first-time domestic abuse offenders (and at least a one-year suspension for repeat offenders). He also promised to “expand the scope of education on domestic violence and sexual assault for all NFL personnel.”
Adopt a shelter
The league has fielded several proposals on these kinds of programs. This summer, Edwards suggested NFL officials demand that every team establish a sponsorship relationship with a women’s shelter, requiring players to visit the shelter
and hear the women’s stories.
Futures Without Violence, a San Francisco nonprofit organization, has held talks with the league for more than a year, according to Brian O’Connor, the group’s director of public education, campaigns and programs. O’Connor said the NFL listened intently to the suggestions for more extensive workplace training.
So far, though, there has been no action.
“They have voiced their commitment, both publicly and privately,” O’Connor said. “But there hasn’t been step one in planning or resources on the table. Otherwise, it’s all just talk. It’s only been a few weeks (since Goodell strengthened league policies), so we’re very anxious to see if they take our recommendations.”
Ben Bernstein, an Oakland sports psychologist, hopes the league follows through in this regard. Bernstein believes football’s violent nature probably plays a role in these domestic abuse issues, but not as much as the lack of comprehensive education about how to manage anger and conflict.
“There’s a big hue and cry about suspending players and giving them consequences, but the root issue is what kind of training they have in dealing with emotional issues,” he said. “I think the key is really to learn to respond to anger in a healthy way. Players need to learn how to handle their emotions, just as we all do.”
Alcohol cited as top factor
Then there’s alcohol. Rice reportedly told the Ravens that he and Palmer drank heavily in the hours before he punched her in an Atlantic City casino elevator in February.
That did not surprise Edwards, who has worked with the 49ers for 30 years and in college sports for more than 40.“
The No. 1 factor in domestic violence is not the sport, it’s not steroids, it’s not amphetamines — it’s alcohol,” he said. “That’s been my experience.”
Goodell’s handling of the Rice case could have wide ramifications. He absorbed withering criticism last week, especially after the Associated Press reported that an NFL employee received the Rice video in April. The National Organization for Women called for Goodell to resign.
This also threatens to affect the league’s historically lucrative bottom line. Two league sponsors, Marriott hotels and FedEx, tweeted last week that they were closely following the situation.
Leigh Steinberg, a longtime sports agent with several prominent NFL clients over the years, predicted the apprehension in corporate America could spread.
“If sponsors backed away from the Clippers because of (former owner) Donald Sterling and racism, they will inevitably reconsider their positions with the NFL if there isn’t a clear path for the future,” Steinberg said. “There needs to be a dynamic plan that ensures advertisers and female viewers this won’t be a recurring problem.”
Female fans
Women represent about 45 percent of NFL fans, according to Scarborough Research. At least one such fan, Dr. Mary Mockus of Novato, is re-evaluating her view of the league in light of its recent domestic violence issues.
Mockus, a retired surgeon, attended 49ers games as a kid at Candlestick Park. She also held season tickets the past 13 years, before relinquishing them when the team moved to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Mockus planned to consider buying tickets again next season, but she’s abandoned the idea given the 49ers’ response to the allegations against McDonald.
“This has really left a bad taste,” Mockus said. “I would say women fans are uneasy. It’s challenging to really throw yourself into supporting the team right now.”