Who saw the the video and when did they see it? NFL’s unwanted reckoning of domestic abuse

Parent Cafe
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<p>NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s insistence of NFL ignorance is being challenged:
<a href=“http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-newsbreak-source-says-rice-video-sent-nfl”>http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-newsbreak-source-says-rice-video-sent-nfl&lt;/a&gt;

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<p>The NFL no doubt wished the story would just go away and didn’t want to set a precedent for sanctioning players for domestic abuse. But now they have to deal with it. Is Ray Rice the tip of the iceberg for NFL domestic abuse? </p>

<p>What’s next? Is Roger Goodell’s job in jeopardy? I’m weary of these CEOs who insist that they are worth their 8-figure salaries, then when the poop hits the fan they claim they didn’t know anything…</p>

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<p>I don’t know how widespread it is in the NFL, BUT Goodell needs to go.</p>

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<p>Come on he only made $26 million you expect him to know what is going on in a domestic assault investigation that involved a Super Bowl/Pro Bowl player</p>

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<p>He only makes $44.2 million</p>

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<p>Terrible. Why isn’t this Rice guy in prison? It’s the Penn State thing all over again. People knew but covered it up to protect sports stars and oh, yes money. </p>

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<p>April 9th is really 5 months ago. Also, several reporters knew the detail about her head hitting the handrail over the summer and commented on it. Who told them if no one in the NFL had seen the tape?</p>

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<p>Maybe that’s why AP reporters were journalism majors instead of math majors ;-)</p>

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<p>One player said when he was signed, the NFL knew * everything * about him AND his family. They have power and money and lawyers and detectives. If they wanted to see that video, they would have seen it. And it’s sounding like they did.</p>

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<p>Tatin, I wonder why I he wasn’t charged, unless the victim refused to press charges.</p>

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<p>The victim doesn’t have to press charges. The state brings the charges in a criminal case. The video by itself is enough to convict the guy of assault. When news stories say ‘the victim wouldn’t press charges’ it usually means they don’t want to testify and without the victim’s testimony, there isn’t sufficient evidence. With the video, there is sufficient evidence. </p>

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<p>The prosecutor decided to put Rice in a “diversionary program” instead of charging him. He’ll undergo counseling.</p>

<p>People who seem to know what they’re talking about say that’s the way first time offenders are generally treated in New Jersey.</p>

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<p>Wow! If he’d hit a stranger on the street he’d be in jail. Hit your wife and you’re sent to a ‘diversionary program’.</p>

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<p>I feel so sorry for this poor woman. </p>

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<p>I’m not so sure about that, TatinG. I suspect that people in bar fights can plead to no jail time for the first offense.</p>

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<p>By all accounts, Ray Rice was a model citizen and has been involved in several community projects. What he did was very bad but he is a first time offender. A judge who saw the video rendered the legal punishment. According to AP, the video was sent to the NFL and since then Goodell suspended Ray Rice for 2 games. Now Goodell is trying to cover his rear end due to public backlash by suspending Rice indefinitely Even if you take the policy that Goodell implemented after he rendered the initial punishment, at best Rice should only be suspended 6 games… Incompetent Goodell should not get two bites of the apple and is simply throwing Rice under the bus. I believe we have not seen the end of this fiasco. I agree with Keith Olbermann: The owners need to fire Goodell.</p>

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<p>There is no reason to get rid of Goodell. He was entitled to rely on the prosecutor’s decision that the matter was not so significant as to put Rice in jail for a long time. He admitted the two game suspension was too light and that he made a mistake. Rice has now received a greater punishment than the league rules of a six game suspension for a first offense provide. Nobody is perfect and there is no reason to get rid of Goodell at this point in time. If it turns out he actually saw the elevator video, however, but lied about seeing it, then all bets are off.</p>

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<p>Nobody who beats his wife is a model citizen, no matter what else he does. And the chance that this is the only time he hit her is miniscule. </p>

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<p>WSJ headline: NFL Appoints Ex-FBI Chief Mueller to Probe League’s Handling of Ray Rice Evidence. </p>

<p>This is a little over the top if you ask me. It’s just football. Rice is not an elected official or high ranking government employee. The NFL is just entertainment. </p>

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<p>Meanwhile, back a the ranch, the Ravens still have a serial abuser on their roster. They need to put their money where their mouth is.</p>

<p><a href=“Brennan: Treat off-camera abusers same as Ray Rice”>http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/ravens/2014/09/08/ray-rice-baltimore-ravens-suspended-indefinitely/15296077/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Ravens Linebacker Terrell Suggs Weighs In On Ray Rice - CBS Pittsburgh”>http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/09/09/ravens-linebacker-terrell-suggs-weighs-in-on-ray-rice/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I think this whole thing is unfolding in a most interesting manner. It’s all about the money, and if the NFL had not been working so hard to attract female fans I’m not sure most of the league would care, honestly. </p>