On July 24,
2014, Ray Rice was handed a two game suspension from the National Football
League for violation of its player conduct policy. This is the result of a surveillance video
from a casino in New Jersey arising last February. The video shows Ray Rice dragging his
unconscious wife out of an elevator after he beat her. After the length of the suspension was
released, controversy arose regarding its short length. The mere two game suspension was compared to
the recent Josh Gordon season-long (16 games) suspension for testing positive
for marijuana. Many believed that
domestic abuse, especially to the extent of beating someone senseless, was much
worse than smoking marijuana. It is
important to note that Josh Gordon was a two-time offender of the league’s drug
policy. However, it is still a minimum
four game suspension for every first time offender to the drug policy, which
includes marijuana. Another comparable
suspension involves the Oakland Raiders and former Ohio State quarterback
Terrelle Prior. Prior received a five
game suspension from the NFL regarding allegations from his college years of
signing memorabilia for money. The
third, and final, suspension to compare this allegation to involves the Richie
Incognito of the Miami Dolphins situation.
Incognito was suspended for three months for the bullying of teammate
Jonathan Martin. It is questionable
whether this situation was worse than Ray Rice’s domestic abuse case, but the
much larger length of the suspension for Incognito is the important part. Smoking marijuana and signing memorabilia for
money while in college are certainly not considered as bad as domestic
abuse. Smoking marijuana and paying
college athletes are rules that may be demolished by the United States
government and the NCAA. However, a man
beating a woman is considered both immoral and appropriately illegal. This is why there is so much controversy over
Ray Rice’s two game suspension compared to previous longer, less immoral,
suspensions.
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