Very Sad: 8 NFL Players Arrested for Domestic Violence While Still Playing Los Angeles Rams Two important participants are among them.
While Ray Rice might never be an NFL player again, twelve other players who have been arrested for domestic abuse are still showing up for practice on Sundays.
Based on a USA Today database that tracks players’ arrests since 2000, the following NFL players have been arrested for domestic violence or related offenses since 2005: Ray McDonald and Chris Cook of the San Francisco 49ers; Tony McDaniel and Kevin Williams of the Seattle Seahawks; Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers; Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys; Erik Walden of the Indianapolis Colts; Donte Whitner of the Cleveland Browns; Randy Starks of the Miami Dolphins; and Frostee Rucker of the Arizona Cardinals.
Some people defeated the accusations. Others took responsibility, received brief suspensions, and resumed play. The others are still awaiting their day in court and are under intense new scrutiny as the nation’s most powerful sports league comes under increasing fire for how it has handled players’ behavior off the field.
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The cases, some of which go back almost ten years, show how the NFL has changed and occasionally behaved erratically when it comes to domestic abuse. Critics who claim that the game too frequently fails to hold itself and its players accountable have not been satisfied by the league’s attempts to strike a balance between justice, fairness, and its obligations to the players’ union.
One of the NFL’s largest off-field issues is domestic violence and related incidents, with 87 arrests involving 80 players in the last 14 years. DUI is the only other crime category where there have been more arrests involving NFL players. Although the number of arrests is alarming, FiveThirtyEight’s analysis shows that the rate is lower than the national average for men of comparable age.
With twelve, the Denver Broncos are the team with the most player arrests for domestic violence and related offenses. However, the last one was in 2010, the day after linebacker Kevin Alexander was fired for allegedly hitting his girlfriend (the accusations were later dropped). The group takes great pride in its array of tools for professional growth. Spokesman Patrick Smyth stated, “Our team hasn’t had such an incident in nearly four years, even though this is a very important issue.” “It has zero such incidents under our current football leadership structure, which has been in place since 2011.”
Hardy’s case is the one that is still pending and best illustrates the contradictions in the NFL. The defensive end was convicted of beating his former girlfriend at home in May and making death threats against her. Coach Ron Rivera of the Panthers allowed him to play in the season opener because he is appealing that decision.
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However, after a video of running back Rice for the Baltimore Ravens, cold-cocking his fiancée in an Atlantic City casino last February surfaced, Rivera had second thoughts. There was a public outcry after that. After suspending Rice for two games at first, Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to ban him permanently and instituted a tougher domestic abuse policy that required a six-game suspension for first-time offenders.
Rice intends to appeal Goodell’s sentence after being admitted into a pre-trial intervention program under court supervision.
Citing the league’s “changing climate,” Rivera benched Hardy for the Panthers’ second game. However, he changed his mind the next day, declaring that Hardy would not face a suspension and raising the prospect that he might play this weekend.
“Greg is with the team,” Rivera said Monday. We’re in a situation where we will undoubtedly go through this week and assess. We will keep collecting data on this in view of many of the events that have occurred.
The way the NFL handled the case of McDonald, the defensive end who was detained on August 31 after he was accused of beating his fiancee while she was pregnant, at his San Jose 30th birthday celebration, has also drawn criticism. McDonald is free on bond and hasn’t missed a game. The 49ers should bench McDonald, according to public officials and advocates for victims of domestic abuse, including California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
However, both Jim Harbaugh, the Niners coach, and Goodell have stated they would reserve judgment until the criminal case is resolved. “In any case, I’m not going to interfere with the process,” Harbaugh declared.
Criminals in the field
Brandon Marshall has the highest number of arrests related to domestic violence among the 12 active players; he has three. Although he has never been found guilty, in 2008 he was suspended for three games due to indiscretions in his personal conduct. However, his story diverges after that. In addition to seeking treatment and speaking out against domestic abuse, he is currently regarded as a success both on and off the field.
