In the wake of recent calls for the NFL to take a tougher line on domestic violence and other incidents of disturbing behavior by its players, Fox News correspondent Brit Hume thinks all of the fuss is a waste of time. He doesn’t think that sports leagues should have to be responsible for policing how players act away from the game.
During the weekly panel discussion on “Fox News Sunday,” the conversation turned to the furor over NFL players’ behavior. Host Chris Wallace mentioned that on a thread where the show’s Facebook followers could post questions or comments for the panel, one commenter called for the media to “get off the NFL’s back” because the dispute over off-field behavior is “a player problem.” Wallace said that the comments on Facebook ran along the same theme–that the media was making the league a scapegoat for player behavior.
Hume felt there was “something to that” sentiment. He asked, “Since when is it the job of a sports league to police the private conduct, or in these cases misconduct, of the players off the field outside the realm of football?” While Hume agreed that the league has a reputation to protect, he thought that ultimately it should come down to the sponsors putting pressure on individual teams. He cited how the Minnesota Vikings (mis)handled the Adrian Peterson situation as an example. For those who missed it, after sitting Peterson out for one game after his arrest on charges of abusing his son, the Vikings initially announced Peterson would return and play while the legal process was playing out. However, after prime sponsor Radisson suspended its ties to the team and Nike yanked Peterson’s jerseys from Twin Cities stores, the Vikings reversed course and put Peterson on what amounted to a paid leave of absence until the case is resolved.
So riddle me this, Brit. If sports leagues have a reputation to protect, how do you expect them to protect it without holding players to account for what they do off the field? And if you want sponsors to do the work of holding players to account, you overlook that there are certain instances where it shouldn’t take outside pressure to get someone off the field who has no business being there. Remember, if not for the release of the fuller video from TMZ, Ray Rice would still be playing.
Many of the commenters on the Facebook thread contended that the NFL should leave off-field conduct to law enforcement. They don’t understand that the law only sets the bar below which you go to jail. There are a lot of things that may be above that bar, but are below the bar for acceptable behavior. If these commenters–and presumably Hume–had their way, there would be no meaningful way to give players a reality check when they badly need it. A very good example of this is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. In the summer of 2010, Roethlisberger was investigated after a Georgia woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in a nightclub. While prosecutors ultimately decided not to prosecute, the details of the incident were egregious enough that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Roethlisberger for the first six games of the 2010 season–a penalty later reduced to four games. Goodell told Roethlisberger that while his actions may not have broken the law, they breached every standard of acceptable behavior that is known. The Steelers had also reached the limit of their patience with Roethlisberger due to several incidents of knuckleheaded behavior in his first six years in the league, and gave serious thought to trading him. Roethlisberger got the hint, and with few exceptions has been a model citizen since then.
Former NBA commissioner David Stern said it best when he suspended Latrell Sprewell for one year after he choked Golden State Warriors coach P. J. Carlesimo (a suspension that was later reduced to a suspension for the remainder of the season)–“A sports league does not have to accept or condone behavior that would not be tolerated in any other segment of society.” The only way for that message to be sent is if leagues can hold players to account for what they do away from the game.
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Darrell Lucus, also known as Christian Dem in NC on Daily Kos, is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
