Every day it seems like another NFL player gets suspended, fails a drug test, or gets in trouble for assault and/or domestic violence. Last year we saw Ray Rice knock out his then-fiancee (now wife) in an elevator and get suspended indefinitely. Josh Gordon was suspended for 10 games last year, and he’s now suspended for the full year this season for repeatedly failing drug tests. Greg Hardy was suspended for four games for a domestic assault allegation. On Thursday, Aug. 6, Aldon Smith was arrested for vandalism, hit and run, and his third DUI of his NFL career. He was immediately cut by the San Francisco 49ers. And of course, Tom Brady was suspended for four games for probably knowing about a couple of deflated footballs.
Brady and “Deflategate” are getting out of hand. Tom Brady is accused of telling the team ball boys to deflate footballs in the 2014 season AFC Championship Game, or at least being aware of the deflated balls. Personally, I think the whole thing should be thrown out. The balls in question were barely deflated, LeGarrette Blount rushed for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Patriots actually scored 11 more points in the second half of the game, after the refs put properly inflated balls in the game. So you’re telling me that a barely deflated 14-ounce football is going to have that much of a difference in a 247-pound running back’s performance? And consider this: The deflated footballs were only used in the first half, where the Colts scored their only touchdown of the game, and the Patriots scored 11 fewer points than in the second half. So the deflated footballs actually caused the Colts to perform better and the Patriots to perform worse while using them? Seems legit.
Honestly, though, I think it's stupid that this is the biggest news in the NFL right now. The NFL and Brady just need to reach a middle ground, regardless of the Patriots' guilt or innocence. Brady should halve his suspension to two games, the NFL should reduce the Patriots' fines and draft pick loss and move on. Deflategate will continue to hang over the 2015 season if they don't compromise.
Sure, if the allegations behind Deflategate are true, it's a pretty big deal. However, there's a bigger problem in the NFL right now, much bigger than a couple of deflated balls.
On Aug. 6, Aldon Smith was arrested for the fifth time in his short four-year NFL career. He is accused of vandalism, hit and run, and driving under the influence. This was his third DUI. His only previous punishment from the NFL was a nine-game suspension last season. His contract was terminated with the team on Friday morning, and now we're just awaiting punishment from the NFL and/or Santa Clara County Court.
Only now, after his fifth arrest and after he is no longer with the team, have the 49ers and other players in the league said that they will support him and try to get him the help he needs.
Why? Why did it take so long for people around the league to support Smith? As a life-long 49ers fan, it just pains me to watch the team fall apart like this. I try to hang on to whatever hope and optimism I have left, but it gets harder and harder every day.
Football fans wouldn't have to feel like this if the NFL actually did something substantial about the problems facing NFL players. NFL players are seemingly plagued with problems involving drugs and domestic violence.
The NFL has the same basic policy for players facing legal matters: They suspend them and welcome them back with open arms, usually about one to four games later. That probably covers 90 percent of cases. With these cases, the NFL is basically saying, "We're going to put you in timeout until you learn how to act better. But you have to get better on your own because we're not going to help you." It's basically like a parent punishing their kid by putting them in timeout, but not telling them why what they did was wrong and how to fix it.
After Rice knocked out his fiancee in an elevator, the NFL gave him a two-game suspension. That was it. They gave him no kind of counseling or anything. After an incredible amount of public backlash, they increased his suspension to indefinite. That indefinite suspension has since been lifted, and he is free to sign with whatever team will take him. The NFL still hasn't offered him help.
Adrian Peterson was suspended indefinitely after being accused of a misdemeanor reckless assault for allegedly hitting his 4-year-old son with a switch. His suspension has been lifted, and he has resumed playing with the Minnesota Vikings. But still, no help from the league. Smith was suspended nine games last season, with no help offered from the league.
As you can tell by this chart, suspending players clearly isn't encouraging them to behave better. Has the NFL gradually suspended more players because they are cracking down on drug abuse and domestic violence? It's possible, but it still shows that those problems exist. So instead of punishing their players, why doesn't the NFL help them so that they don't have to face a suspension?
If the NFL doesn't counsel their players and encourage them to live lives absent of drug and physical abuse, why is it right for them to punish their players for not doing so? Players make the NFL billions of dollars. You think the league could find some money in their budget to at least offer some kind of counseling to attempt to elevate players out of drug and spousal abuse. Roger Goodell's $44 million a year salary? That would be a good place to start.
The NFL has made progress, however. On Dec. 19, 2014, the NFL conducted a broad-based domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault education. According to NFL.com, it was "mandatory for all league and club office personnel, owners, cheerleaders, coaches, and players and available to and highly encouraged for friends, family members, and loved ones." The education sessions were conducted at all 32 clubs and all league offices except China and Mexico.
It's a start. But there's so much more the NFL can do. Perhaps they can partner with Alcoholics Anonymous, drug rehab centers, and other similar places to help elevate their players out of drug abuse and domestic violence. Maybe they can have a heavier involvement in the No More Campaign. But until the NFL steps up their game, we will continue to see players like Ray Rice, Josh Gordon, and Aldon Smith getting cut and suspended without receiving any kind of help from the league. These players and problems will continue to be a black cloud that hovers over the entire league until the NFL can find some way to shine through it.
