Posted on 09/14/2014 9:18:05 AM PDT by Kaslin
The violent beating that was delivered by Ray Rice, a Baltimore Raven running back, against his girlfriend-turned-wife Janay, was the worst example of male behavior that our society has seen. Rice deserves to go to jail for the assault. This episode is a perfect example of corporate mismanagement by the leadership of the NFL. It is inexcusable. The Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, needs to resign.
You all saw the video of Ray Rice dragging his then-girlfriend out of the elevator. You all figured out she did not just faint. So it did not take much to surmise what went on in the elevator. No one really needed to have the new video tape from inside the elevator to figure out it was basically a two-punch fight. Ray hit Janay; Janay hit the ground.
But now Commissioner Goodell has multiple versions of what happened. He tried -- tried so hard -- to get the video from the elevator and just could not. No one believes that. And now we have recorded proof the NFL received the video. Goodell met with Rice and Rice told him he punched her – no he slapped her. She’s my sister; she’s my daughter; she’s my sister; she’s my daughter. Goodell’s latest story is he did not pursue the situation out of respect for Janay. She said it was partially her fault she got a fist to the face. Is Goodell that clueless about domestic violence he can actually offer that as a defense?
Goodell knew what went on in that elevator and he willfully neglected the facts. He figured he’d suspend Rice a couple of games; who cares about one of my star players beating up a woman. It will blow over. Things are cool as long as my new Thursday night franchise brings in the ratings. But we do care. Either your league is a model to follow or it is a cravenness pit; decide which you want, commissioner. But as usual the cover-up is worse than the crime. Some two-bit celebrity website exposed you for what you are – a liar and an enabler of women beaters. But now, much like the beheadings of Foley and Sotloff, the world has changed because everyone saw the new video.
Mr. Goodell needs a clear picture. You see we are going to war again against a group of Islamic terrorists. They kidnap women, they rape women, and they force women into marriages. They treat women like chattel. What we do creates women doctors and lawyers and U.S. Senators. We honor women. Though we have not been perfect in the past in our treatment of women, nor are we now, we are constantly striving to improve the status of women and the opportunities that they have in society. That is what we stand for. When Goodell and the NFL condone the actions taken by Ray Rice by not swiftly and appropriately administering justice and then hiding their awareness of his misdeeds, we give credence to the barbarians who we need to eradicate. ISIS and Boko Haram are having a field day with that video thinking that although those Americans talk, look what they actually do to women when money is on the line. Goodell does not get that this is what separates our culture from these barbarians. His condoning of Rice’s actions brings us closer to them.
Now begins the real cover-up. The owners are circling the wagons trying to protect the Commissioner -- who makes them money -- not thinking of the disgrace he brings to the league. They have hired former FBI Director Robert Mueller to head an investigation. The investigation will be supervised by two owners who are scions of long-time owners: the Rooney and Mara families. They will concoct a report stating errors were made and things should change, but no one will be held responsible for the horrendous decisions made already. This is a classic Washington, DC-style whitewash that is only established to protect the guilty.
There is only one end to this situation that is just and right. Roger Goodell gets in front of a microphone and tells everyone he did wrong. It does not matter that Janay now says she loves Ray and that they should be left alone. They all do that. Once a woman is beaten you can pretty well count on the next one happening. Goodell should then resign and let someone come in who will take the stench from the league. Goodell would then have time to immerse himself in Law and Order SVU episodes and learn what beating up on women is all about.
There are more important things than ratings for NFL games. Goodell should have known that and he did not. He has to go.
Thank you.
Finally someone got it right.
It was funny, seeing Ray Lewis and Keyshawn Johnson having to speak about this. Fact is, if they were playing now, they'd be dropped by their teams.
So? He can’t hit a fastball any more? I don’t understand why that disqualifies a baseball player from playing, any more than Robert Downey’s DECADES of drug abuse keep him from playing Iron Man now.
hurts to be outta your league, doesn’t it?
The violent beating that was delivered by Ray Rice, a Baltimore Raven running back, against his girlfriend-turned-wife Janay, was the worst example of male behavior that our society has seen.
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Really? How about Bill Clinton almost biting Juanita Broderick’s lip off so he could control her while raping her ... how’s that for a rather horrific example of bad male behavior? Don’t get me wrong, what Rice did was inexcusable, but I know of lots worse than what Rice did to Janay .... have talked, in a professional capacity, to a few women who were TORTURED by their abusive husbands & were at serious and actual risk of being killed by them if they tried to leave ... or if they stayed .... pick one. Quite a choice, no? The difference is that their husbands weren’t celebrities. This is ‘sensationalism’ and hyperbole .... the media needs to get a grip and get educated. Abuse, terrible abuse, far worse than Rice probably ever thought of doing, goes on daily in this country.
..........”Goodell & some of the more liberal owners are destroying the game.......”
I think a near perfect analogy to your comment above would be Bullriding.
Everybody involved in Bull riding, from the suppliers of the bulls, to the sponsors, to the PRCA knows full well that with every ride (uh..every play (in the NFl!)one of the Cowboys could be not only hurt but hurt VERY BAD or killed. Frequently, riders are hurt and every now and then one is killed!
Like Pro Football, there are many “tweaks” to the rules the PRCA could invoke. Let’s see, they could replace bulls with steers, they could drug the bull, they could make the rider wear a marshmallow type suit, they could cut the bulls horns off, they could cut the ride to 5 or six seconds. I could go on and on.
But, the GUT ISSUE the Cowboys and the PRCA KNOW, and the reason they refrain from “tweaking” is that “the threat of injury or death” sustains their BUSINESS and FAN INTEREST. Pure and simple, they know it’s a basic human trait dating to the Roman Coliseum’s and before. The threat of death puts the zing in the bull ride..... “WOW!!......”., the fan’s mind processes every ride,.....”this guy could get killed! And, decade after decade, the fans come, the sponsors sponsor and money is made by all while many are crippled and some die (I went to the funeral of one who did, he was 22).
Goodell et al, unlike the PRCA and NASCAR, just don’t “get it”............or, their pc spines just can’t “take it”.
I am neither ignorant nor a drive by. My position is, and I was using your post to respond, is that the NFL (and for what it’s worth most of the professional sports today in the US) are staffed largely by Blacks (who are unquestionably better athletes) but who have a collective problem behaving like civilized people. And that their audience are overweight whites who like to spend their weekends in front of the big screen with a beer (that is my observation and has nothing in particular to do with you or your personal habits). If spending your time watching these guys floats your boat, knock yourself out, I could care less. But the black athletes in particular, have a poor track record when it comes to their personal behavior (i.e. O.J., Michael Vick, these turds who beat their wives/gfs, etc.) and should be held to account (they are not unlike their brothers and sisters in the music and entertainment business in that regard). Unfortunately, since they make a lot of money and make even more for their owners, they seem all too frequently to get a pass from both the leagues and the justice system. When you support their “businesses” with your time and money, you are in effect saying that it’s o.k. with you that they behave like animals because they “entertain” you enough to overlook what they do.
Beyond that, as a taxpayer, I don’t like the fact that these private enterprises manage to get local governments to go into debt to build infrastructure in which their teams get to operate in at less than the cost it took to create them. San Francisco built Candlestick Park, and endlessly renovated and added to it, all on the taxpayer’s dime. And at the same time, both the Giants and the 49er’s bitched and moaned about it for the thirty odd years they used it. Now the Giants have new digs in downtown SF, and the 49er’s have conned Santa Clara County into building them a new taj mahal, with out a nickel coming from either team other than a promise to utilize their new freebees. Now, with money still owed, Candlestick is being torn down. What a deal!
wow.....1957 calling you.....
I think TV is the big ticket, but I do not know the figures.
That’s what I figured too. So what problems do you see with the NFL becoming fantasy league driven where you are watching games for individuals stats and not necessarily wins or loses for favorite teams? It seems really alien to me, but I can’t stand the modern era of the NFL anyway.
Freegards
you are replacing organic viewers with mercenary viewers....over time, it will degrade the over all interest. The TV rev is the biggie, but they need the stadium revs too - and full stadiums of passionate fans are what makes it great TV.
“So? He can’t hit a fastball any more? I don’t understand why that disqualifies a baseball player from playing, any more than Robert Downey’s DECADES of drug abuse keep him from playing Iron Man now.”
Duh .... Just an example of ‘justice’ when it is a sports star compared to the average joe. Your ‘stars’ get away with murder!
“Ray Rice has already pleaded guilty and received counseling in a diversion program for first-time offenders.”
Whoa! I’ll admit that I’m not following this ‘News’ as closely as I would things of national import, but nowhere have I heard it reported that Ray Rice already pleaded to a charge. Thank you for correcting me.
He never plead at all, part of the counseling deal meas charges get dropped, so there’s nothing to plea to.
It’s not an analogy. It’s a factual track record that good football players will play football again. The only thing working against Rice is father time. If he sits out more than a year, he’s getting into the age range where running backs fade and the interest may wane. My bet is he’ll be back next season. I don’t think the NFL can boot a guy for life for something that resulted in legal probation, or essentially no punishment.
he may be back - but it still has nothing to do with the Michael Vick case. Also, one possible factor: running backs are almost dime a dozen now compared to quarterbacks. QBs get away with, and will always, more than anyone else.
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