Unless you have been hiding underneath a rock for the past week or so, you have probably heard about the sexual assault by a Stanford swimmer this past year. However, this is not just a standalone act. There have been countless athletes who have been accused of criminal acts. Now I am not saying that it is hard to believe that athletes are capable of doing these acts, but it is more of the "consequences" that these athletes get after their illegal actions. The men and women who provide us entertainment in the world of sports tend to be let off with a metaphorical slap on the wrist. Let's look at some of the perpetrators, shall we?

Ndamukong Suh: As a Green Bay Packer fan, hearing this name tends to fill my heart with disgust and anger. If you don't know, Suh has become quite the notorious stomper during games. In 2014, Suh, during the Lions-Packers game, stepped on Packers QB, Aaron Rodgers, with the intention of doing so, or at least that's what the video seems to show. According to Dan Hanzus, Suh was originally suspended for the next game, which was the Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys. Suh was able to appeal this suspension for a $70,000 fine instead. It was stated that Suh was considered a first-time offender because he had gone 32 games without a single incident, even though he was fined eight times from 2010 to 2014. The only time Suh served a suspension from any game was back in 2011 when he stepped on the former Packers offensive lineman, Evan Dietrich-Smith. Even with these multitudes of fines and suspensions, Suh is still considered to be a great defensive player and has been awarded throughout his years.

Draymond Green: Similar to Ndamukong Suh, Golden State Warrior's Power Forward Draymond Green does not like to play nice on the court. There have been several accounts of Green being unnecessarily violent against his opponents. He and the rest of the Warriors are being accused of having illegal screens on a regular basis. Green has flipped over Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics like he was in pro-wrestling, caused Dante Exum of the Utah Jazz to vomit for twenty minutes after being elbowed in the throat and kicked Steven Adams, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the place most men don't want to be kicked in. These are just a few of the incidents that Green has been called out on, however, he has not been suspended for anything. He was, however, been fined $25,000 for kicking Adams. Green and the rest of the Warriors are still considered to be a great team, even with these accusations and what looks like to be pretty solid proof (if you look at the videos).

These were just some of the athletes that have shown less-than-desirable actions on the field. However, there are a great number of athletes that question their idea of being a good role model when they are off the field.

The following athletes have all been, at least, accused of either domestic or sexual assault.

Jameis Winston: Is the current QB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but like most NFL players, he originally got his name noticed when he was in college. Winston went to school at Florida State University (FSU). In 2012, a young woman reported being raped by a then-unknown assailant. A month later, she formally named Winston as the perpetrator. There was another woman who also named Winston as sexually assaulting her, but as these allegations were being investigated, Winston was able to continue playing for FSU's football team and continue winning. As the investigation continued on, Winston was not pulled from the program and was even award the Heisman Trophy. Eventually, Winston was called in to testify against the claims but he refused to answer any of the questions. In turn, FSU, dropped the investigation because Winston refused to comply with the investigation and answer questions. As previously stated, Winston now plays for the Buccaneers and no charges were held against him for the rape of two women.

Ray Rice: Back in 2014, footage was released of Ray Rice dragging his then fiancé and current wife, Janay, out of an elevator. Later that same year, there was more footage released of him punching Janay on that same evening. It is clear in the video that Rice did punch Janay and drag her out of the elevator. For once, the team took some action. At first, the Baltimore Ravens were backing Rice when he was first arrested for the assault, but when the video was released to the public, they decided to kick Rice to the curb. Rice was arrested and charged with assault. However, when he was in trial for a possible three-to-five year jail sentence, it got reduced to court-supervised counseling. Rice claims that it was a one-time incident, however, that does not excuse the fact that he still committed the act. He is also looking to rejoin the league this upcoming season if invited to training.

Adrian Peterson: Also in 2014, Minnesota Vikings running back, Adrian Peterson turned himself in when allegations of child abuse rose. Peterson was accused of having beat his four-year-old son with a switch, quite severely––it left bruises and cuts along the boy's body. The Vikings took quick action when the news broke and suspended Peterson for the upcoming game against the New England Patriots. He was then put on unpaid suspension until at least the spring of 2015. Still, in 2016, Peterson remains to claim that he is innocent of this abusive behavior. Peterson is also allowed to remain on the field and play for the Vikings.

Hope Solo: The goalie of the U.S. Women's Soccer team has found herself to be among the athletes who have made horrible choices. Solo is accused of domestic violence. She is accused of attacking her half-sister, Teresa Obert and Obert's son back in 2014. According to Obert, Solo was slamming the son into the cement over and over, and when Obert tried to stop Solo, she turned her aggression onto her and started punching. Solo denies that she is the criminal, but rather the victim and states that her image will now forever be "damaged" by being associated with domestic violence. Solo played in a championship game a week after this report was released.

Brock Turner is the one person we have been hearing about constantly. We have heard from the victim and her letter to Turner that she read directly to him in court. We have heard from the father that it was just his son's way of getting "20 minutes of action," completely dismissing the fact that this "action" was completely unwanted and acted upon an unconscious woman. We have heard from the judge ruling on the case saying that a sentencing of six months with the possibility of probation is acceptable for a man of his age and no previous criminal record. This former Stanford swimmer has had a petition filed against this ruling and his actions saying that "Brock Turner is a white male star athlete at a prestigious university does not entitle him to leniency." Judge Persky thought that "a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him."

Stanford took appropriate action in banning Turner from ever stepping onto campus grounds, whether as a student or otherwise. They claim to have done appropriate investigations, in a timely manner, which can be applauded especially in comparison to FSU and the Jameis Winston case.

Athletes, in many ways, are looked up to. I certainly have some athletes that I truly admire and aspire to have similar work ethics as far as success goes. However, there are these athletes, and the ones I have listed, are just a few that go and make decisions that ruin other people's lives. The worst part is that they do not get a proper reprimand. Brock Turner was up for six years in prison, and he ended up with six months in jail with the chance of probation. The suggested punishment was deemed to be too harsh and would severely damage this man's life. His crime is too harsh and severely damaged this young woman's life. Turner, among many other athletes, is being let off too easy for the crimes that he has committed. It is time to take a stand and get mad at the judges or the commissioners or the heads of organizations for not taking the serious action that is needed when one of their athletes breaks the law.

Reprimand your athletes. Set a better example.