(Greg) Hardy, (Ray) Rice, and (Aldon) Smith -- oh, my. The only people who are scared more than opposing teams is the friends and families of these NFL so-called stars. Assault, domestic violence, and DUIs, to name a few, are some of the offenses that these men have been convicted of. In the 2015 NFL season, Tom Brady threw for 36 touchdowns, Adrian Peterson ran for over 1,400 yards, and the NFL as a whole had 46 arrests. Regardless of this, these professionalathletes and transgressors continue to be paid millions and have a job in the league that values revenue over lives.
One of the NFL's biggest offenders in recent years has been the Oakland Raiders' Aldon Smith. Smith has recently been suspended by the NFL until November when he was re-signed with the Raider's for a one year deal. This is after Smith was charged with a DUI, three felony accounts of possession of an illegal assault weapon, possession of marijuana, claiming to carry a bomb in an LA airport, and a hit and run among other things, all since 2012. Hardy, who seemed to be a budding star in the NFL, is very well on his last life. Regardless of how talented he may be, NFL teams have recently showed that talent does not quite match the headache and legal baggage that comes with these type of players.
Among the offenders are Greg Hardy and Ray Rice, two players who seem to be finally receiving their due for the acts they have committed. Having been indicted for assault, Rice has been out of football since the end of the 2013 season, not by choice. If the NFL wants to remove the stigma that it tolerates this behavior, it must continue to show that it cannot, and will not, tolerate this behavior any longer. Similar to Rice, Greg Hardy, of the Dallas Cowboy's, has faced the cold shoulder of the NFL. After the Carolina Panther's decided to part ways with Hardy, or as Jerry Richardson the owner of the Panther's stated, "We do the right things," Hardy was subsequently signed to a one year deal by the Cowboy's and suspended the first 10 games of the 2015 season. In an article by NBC Sports, Hardy discussed his displeasure for Aldon Smith signing a new contract, stating that he does not view himself as as big of a problem as Smith. Doing the right thing always beats out talent; a lesson Hardy, among others, is learning the hard way.
Though these are just three specific cases of how the NFL is slowly taking baby steps in the right direction of phasing out its "troublemakers," these are necessary steps. To make a real statement, the NFL must continue to turn away these players. There is no need for a Ray Rice, an Aldon Smith, or a Greg Hardy in a league that has so many other notably talented players. In so many other areas of work, if someone were to follow in the footsteps of these infamous athletes they would be almost immediately terminated or serious charges would be brought up against them. There is no excuse for their behavior, there is no excuse for domestic violence, assault, or being a threat to society. The time for the NFL to take a stand is now, and removing these type of players from the league is all but necessary.
