NFL star suspended for two games for knocking wife unconscious

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice got suspended by the NFL for two games for knocking his wife unconscious. This has created a huge uproar around the sports community and the general public, especially among those who marvel that the suspension for getting caught with weed is four games, while Rice gets a 2-game suspension.


Here's the latest:


NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's punishment for Ravens RB Ray Rice shows he is inconsistent - NY Daily News




The general consensus is that the NFL is sending a dangerous messasge regarding spousal abuse.
Thoughts?

Guys in the NFL, just like guys in boxing have brain damage. So, you can't really expect them to act rationally all the time. It is what it is.

I don't think any athletic commission should be acting as a moral authority in the first place, to be honest. If this guy seriously assaulted his wife, it's a criminal matter and he should be tried, possibly serve some time or probation etc, then the NFL can decide how to act based on what is legally pending. What they have to say about it before the fact is and should be completely irrelevant, and it speaks to how silly people are about sports. If one a)believes this guy is guilty as charged, and b) puts their faith in the NFL to determine his punishment, they may as well go knock themselves unconscious imo. How many days of work do you think the average person deserves to miss for assaulting their wife? Not exactly the way things should work.

That's the world we live in. Beat a woman unconscious? 2 game suspension.

Get caught using racist/homophobic/ect LANGUAGE? You've lost your job.

Didn't Richie Incognito face a much longer suspension for saying/texting the word "nigger"? But then again, I guess that's much more harmful than physically beating a woman into unconsciousness. Ugh.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

That's the world we live in. Beat a woman unconscious? 2 game suspension.

Get caught using racist/homophobic/ect LANGUAGE? You've lost your job.

---

Political correctness trumps all these days.

I believe if there is enough outrage over this incident the player will end up with a harsher punishment.

No criminal charges?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Didn't Richie Incognito face a much longer suspension for saying/texting the word "nigger"? But then again, I guess that's much more harmful than physically beating a woman into unconsciousness. Ugh.

---

No no no not for JUST saying that but for also "Being a bully" :rolleyes:


You see Michael Sam and everyone bending over backwards to make certain NOBODY offends him and NOBODY makes fun of him and you see what Tebow went through with the media and the difference between the two...it's ridiculous.

I have started to wonder when a "Mercy Rule" will be brought about...you see how ESPN bitches about preseason warmup football games for various colleges and universities.


Oh and don't even get me started on the fucking Redskins and that PC shitstorm

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by p4pking

I don't think any athletic commission should be acting as a moral authority in the first place, to be honest. If this guy seriously assaulted his wife, it's a criminal matter and he should be tried, possibly serve some time or probation etc, then the NFL can decide how to act based on what is legally pending. What they have to say about it before the fact is and should be completely irrelevant, and it speaks to how silly people are about sports. If one a)believes this guy is guilty as charged, and b) puts their faith in the NFL to determine his punishment, they may as well go knock themselves unconscious imo. How many days of work do you think the average person deserves to miss for assaulting their wife? Not exactly the way things should work.

---

You raise a good point. But.... is it that clear cut and dry? Can the NFL afford to wait and do nothing while the public outcry increases? True... the NFL, nor any pro league, is a moral authority. But they are held accountable by the public to set an example for society's youth. How would this go down in a regular workplace? A high visibility company exec gets accused of knocking his wife unconscious. Does the company go on "business as usual" until the courts decide? It may not be a similar situation... but the question is still worth asking.


Bottom line... I think it's a tough judgement call sometimes when a high-profile pro athlete commits a crime. How much punishment is enough? Do you carry on while the legal system does its thing? How do you handle the press and the fans? We can all armchair judge it... but until it's one of us in that spot... we can't imagine how difficult it must be to do the "right" thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TitoFan

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by p4pking

I don't think any athletic commission should be acting as a moral authority in the first place, to be honest. If this guy seriously assaulted his wife, it's a criminal matter and he should be tried, possibly serve some time or probation etc, then the NFL can decide how to act based on what is legally pending. What they have to say about it before the fact is and should be completely irrelevant, and it speaks to how silly people are about sports. If one a)believes this guy is guilty as charged, and b) puts their faith in the NFL to determine his punishment, they may as well go knock themselves unconscious imo. How many days of work do you think the average person deserves to miss for assaulting their wife? Not exactly the way things should work.

---

You raise a good point. But.... is it that clear cut and dry? Can the NFL afford to wait and do nothing while the public outcry increases? True... the NFL, nor any pro league, is a moral authority. But they are held accountable by the public to set an example for society's youth. How would this go down in a regular workplace? A high visibility company exec gets accused of knocking his wife unconscious. Does the company go on "business as usual" until the courts decide? It may not be a similar situation... but the question is still worth asking.


Bottom line... I think it's a tough judgement call sometimes when a high-profile pro athlete commits a crime. How much punishment is enough? Do you carry on while the legal system does its thing? How do you handle the press and the fans? We can all armchair judge it... but until it's one of us in that spot... we can't imagine how difficult it must be to do the "right" thing.

---

Back at you, touche sir. I guess I was being more idealistic with my point, since I don't personally think athletes should have the celebrity status or impact they do away from their sport. If a high profile athlete commits a crime they should face trial the same way any other person who commits crimes SHOULD. Fact is they are unfortunately public figures and role models to many, so the commissions have to act accordingly I'm sure. If this huge man really knocked a woman spark out, then there would be no punishment the NFL could hand out that would be enough in my eyes, is the thing.

As shady as boxing is, I kind of like the way little is made out of fighters actions outside of the ring. Mayweather beats women and goes to jail ever few years for it as he should. It doesn't affect his profession, hopefully in part because people realize he is a very unsavory person to begin with. I'm sure it does have more to do with the sport having no central commission and a much lower profile/smaller youth fanbase though, I do hear ya.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by p4pking

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TitoFan

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by p4pking

I don't think any athletic commission should be acting as a moral authority in the first place, to be honest. If this guy seriously assaulted his wife, it's a criminal matter and he should be tried, possibly serve some time or probation etc, then the NFL can decide how to act based on what is legally pending. What they have to say about it before the fact is and should be completely irrelevant, and it speaks to how silly people are about sports. If one a)believes this guy is guilty as charged, and b) puts their faith in the NFL to determine his punishment, they may as well go knock themselves unconscious imo. How many days of work do you think the average person deserves to miss for assaulting their wife? Not exactly the way things should work.

---

You raise a good point. But.... is it that clear cut and dry? Can the NFL afford to wait and do nothing while the public outcry increases? True... the NFL, nor any pro league, is a moral authority. But they are held accountable by the public to set an example for society's youth. How would this go down in a regular workplace? A high visibility company exec gets accused of knocking his wife unconscious. Does the company go on "business as usual" until the courts decide? It may not be a similar situation... but the question is still worth asking.


Bottom line... I think it's a tough judgement call sometimes when a high-profile pro athlete commits a crime. How much punishment is enough? Do you carry on while the legal system does its thing? How do you handle the press and the fans? We can all armchair judge it... but until it's one of us in that spot... we can't imagine how difficult it must be to do the "right" thing.

---

Back at you, touche sir. I guess I was being more idealistic with my point, since I don't personally think athletes should have the celebrity status or impact they do away from their sport. If a high profile athlete commits a crime they should face trial the same way any other person who commits crimes SHOULD. Fact is they are unfortunately public figures and role models to many, so the commissions have to act accordingly I'm sure. If this huge man really knocked a woman spark out, then there would be no punishment the NFL could hand out that would be enough in my eyes, is the thing.

As shady as boxing is, I kind of like the way little is made out of fighters actions outside of the ring. Mayweather beats women and goes to jail ever few years for it as he should. It doesn't affect his profession, hopefully in part because people realize he is a very unsavory person to begin with. I'm sure it does have more to do with the sport having no central commission and a much lower profile/smaller youth fanbase though, I do hear ya.

---

I think you hit the nail on the head with your comparison of major team sports, like the NFL, to boxing. Mayweather is the poster child for that, as you say. He hits a woman... he does time... he comes out, and resumes his boxing career. No one in their right mind would ever mistake Floyd for a role model.


I really don't know what the right thing for the NFL to do is. Nothing? They'd catch hell for it. Yet... anything they do, if ahead of the legal system, is going to be severely second-guessed. It's a tough position to be in.

Un fucking believable. Suspended for 2 games? The NFL had a chance to make a statement and said fuck it. Didn't Michael Vick get 2 years for dog fighting? The NFL has it's head straight up it's ass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by p4pking

I don't think any athletic commission should be acting as a moral authority in the first place, to be honest. If this guy seriously assaulted his wife, it's a criminal matter and he should be tried, possibly serve some time or probation etc, then the NFL can decide how to act based on what is legally pending. What they have to say about it before the fact is and should be completely irrelevant, and it speaks to how silly people are about sports. If one a)believes this guy is guilty as charged, and b) puts their faith in the NFL to determine his punishment, they may as well go knock themselves unconscious imo. How many days of work do you think the average person deserves to miss for assaulting their wife? Not exactly the way things should work.

---

Very good, logical post.

I don't think a player should be banned for knocking out his wife either. Now if you attacked another player in a game, then sure, the authorities can ban you and legal action can be taken too. But something outside of that is personal and I don't think your job is a 24 hour one. That's why I am also against workplace drug and medical checkups, I just don't think it should be any of their business. If you are doing your job, then that is enough. If you hit your wife and she wants to sue you and divorce you, then that is cool too. I hate the media and how they try to make stories about nothing and this is another of those. That one about the racist team owner was another non-story. Mainstream media is beyond pathetic.

I don't think anybody has the right to hit any other person. We can say things heatedly, but when it comes down to it, unless somebody tries to attack you, then you should never lay a finger on another person. Hitting somebody else is the ultimate sign of weakness and loss of control. Knocking your wife out is one of the worst things you can do, but the result of that is up to the wife to decide. It should have nothing to do with your boss. I don't see how they are connected....unless the wife is also the boss perhaps?

All in all a man that knocks his wife unconscious is a shit bag, funny enough my son
showed me pictures of Floyds wife, god did he give her a hiding.
Yes chaps they may be Kings of there sport, but as human beings go they are low lives,
do they deserve to be sports icons maybe.
Descent human beings I think not, sometimes we get blinded by there status I for one
would not want my daughter married to one of theses fuckers.

Have him charged with assault, put him in the nick for a month. He loses his games that way. The wife can them divorce him and he is then banned for missing the jail time games. Win, win, situation.

And what's the punishment for the wife? Who is said to have thrown the first punch. Nothing. There is no punishment for her. 2 game suspension is way to long. This was not an NFL issue. They should of stayed out of it