Monday, September 08, 2014

The Ravens Do Not Have to Repeat Roger Goodell's Mistake

At the time Roger Goodell made his decision to suspend Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games for domestic violence, most everyone thought the punishment was too light, too forgiving, particularly as other NFL players were suspended for much longer for much lighter offenses. Now that the video from inside the elevator has been leaked, the fact that Ray Rice is guilty of a brutal assault and that Goodell made an egregious error, have been made absolutely clear.

The Ravens do not have to repeat or perpetuate Goodell's mistake. Baltimore team owner Steve Bisciotti should immediately release Ray Rice from the team. If Ray Rice patrols the Baltimore sideline in two weeks as the Ravens take on the Cleveland Browns, it will be an embarrassment to Bisciotti, to all those associated with the Ravens management, Ravens players, and of course the people of Baltimore, and perhaps most profoundly, an acute insult to every woman who cheers passionately for this team. 

There can be no professional tolerance for domestic violence. This Ravens fan wants to go clearly on the record that I will not buy another piece of Ravens merchandise and will not attend another Ravens game until the Ravens part ways with Ray Rice.

I also believe that if Roger Goodell had access to this video as he determined the Rice punishment, the calls for his resignation should be loud and repetitive, and those calls should resound from the desks of ESPN, the NFL owners, the NFL Players Association, and from NFL fans.

Let's rid the NFL of Ray Rice, and the domestic violence enabler Roger Goodell.

Start with Rice. The ball is in Bisciotti's court. 

Update! As of 2:51PM Eastern on September 8, 2014, the Ravens have indeed released Ray Rice. Kudos to Steve Bisciotti for this decision. Further, the NFL has decided to suspend Rice 'indefinitely.' 


1 comment:

J. Ryan said...

In the mere spirit of debate, I present the issue of reasonable punishment. Should Ray Rice lose his entire career over a mistake. I'm not saying to take domestic violence lightly, however ending someone's career seems harsh. Would you agree that a full season suspension would meet the expectations of the league and the Raven's, as well as the rest of the NFL's, fan base? I'd even agree that the suspension be in addition to his possible 3-5 year sentence.


In my opinion, the Raven's should remove him from the roster/team not only to make an example out of him but to set an example/standard for what is and isn't deemed acceptable behavior and conduct of someone who plays a significant role in the lives of future athletes and admiring fans.


My overall point is where do we draw the line when becoming someone's judge and jury? Pulling someone out of their career and hindering their future permanently shouldn't be such a hasty decision.