The NFL is no stranger to controversy. From the rape accusations against Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, to the difficult to watch video of former Baltimore Ravens' running back Ray Rice's assault against his then-fiancée (now wife) to the recently released photographs of former Carolina Panthers, current Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Greg Hardy's alleged assault against his then-girlfriend, there's no denying that there is a rather disturbing trend finding itself ever present off the football field.
Given how much athletes are idolized in American culture, by youths and adults alike, isn't there something to be said about the examples that these incidents are setting? Granted, yes, many of the players accused and/or arrested for domestic violence have entered rehabilitation programs and have also themselves become advocates against such assaults. These are all wonderful steps forward for the individuals in question. But, does that really change the fact that these incidents did still happen in the first place and continue to happen, regardless of how many domestic violence programs the NFL attempts to instate?
In light of the recently released photographs of Greg Hardy's ex-girlfriend, Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones was quoted as saying "He's, of course, one of the real leaders on this team and he earns it and he earns it with respect from all of his teammates and that's the kind of thing that inspires a football team." But, what does it say when his character is what you associate with a leader? When, despite all accusations and arrests, his teammates still respect him and find him inspiring? Who knows? Maybe it is that easy to look past someone's character and focus only on what they bring forth on the field. But, even if that is the case, it shouldn't be.
This is not an attempt at dissuading anyone from respecting and idolizing athletes, because they are people to be respected and people to want to model yourself after, if only for their athletic capabilities. But instead, this is an attempt to call attention to an issue that, despite being publicized time and time again, still continues to happen. So why, despite all of the negative publicity and controversies that surround many of these players, do they still continue to find themselves employed with the National Football League—Ray Rice the obvious exception?
Because defensive ends of Greg Hardy's caliber are much more difficult to come across than running backs of Ray Rice's. It's really no secret, and all one has to do is look at the ways that the accusations surrounding players of the highest caliber seem to just disappear into yesterday's news as soon as the next big scandal comes across.
Take Greg Hardy for example again. Despite these events having occurred over a year ago, Hardy only recently apologized, never went through counseling, and was rushed back into playing, despite having given many people every reason to believe he should have endured a fate similar to that of Ray Rice. But, when you're a player of Hardy's caliber and you're a talent that's hard to come by, exceptions are made and "mistakes" are overlooked. Winning the game becomes more important than any outstanding moral and ethical issues. And, maybe that also just goes to suggest that Jerry Jones is more of a problem in the grander scheme of this controversy than Hardy is himself, but that isn't the point here.
This isn't an incident limited only to the Cowboys and Greg Hardy, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, Hardy is just one of an absurdly long list of NFL players that have legitimate arrests for domestic violence and sexual assault, and that's not even taking into consideration the surmounting accusations.
This is a bigger issue of such violent acts being rightfully punished in some cases, but still overlooked and condoned in others. This is a bigger issue of what defines a leader and what doesn't. This is a bigger issue of putting someone's life, physical health, and mental wellbeing below that of another's athletic caliber. This is saying that an athlete's performance on the field is more important than his or her actions off of it, and when athletes are idolized as frequently as they are, that becomes the biggest issue of all.
