Do you think that the suspension of NFL stars such as Jalen Saunders and Martavis Bryant due to drug use should be ignored? Should top athletic organizations give away free passes to their top athletes if they violate their Wellness Policy? Because that is exactly what the WWE is doing with one of their top stars, Roman Reigns. On June 21st, 2016 Roman Reigns was effectively suspended from the WWE for his first violation of their Wellness Policy.
Being his first violation, he will only be suspended from WWE Television and as an active member of the WWE roster for 30 days, however, it doesn't seem like Roman will be getting that hard of a punishment. Backstage reports from the WWE have said that because of his stature as a 'top guy' in the company, Reigns will be able to appear on television on WWE Monday Night RAW on June 27th in order to be written off of WWE television in a scripted way to further his upcoming rivalry against former Tag Team members Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose surrounding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The three were scheduled to have a Triple Threat match at the WWE Battleground event on July 24th for the company's top title, which appears to still be scheduled due to the fact that Reigns' suspension will have expired before the event.
However, the fact that this match will continue as planned implies that Reigns must be able to be promoted in the coming weeks before the event, and the fact that he will be able to appear on the next Monday Night RAW is a very disturbing move by the WWE. Until now, the WWE has prided itself in upholding it's Wellness Policy in order to keep their talent healthy and keep a cleaner image for the WWE, but the blatant ignorance of Reigns' violation contradicts everything the WWE has been pushing for in terms of cleaner athletes the past few years.
It is also a slap in the face to the talent who have already been punished for violating the WWE's Wellness Policy, as the company is pretty much telling those men and women that "Reigns is better than you, he gets a free pass." WWE Talent such as Adam Rose have been punished for their violation of the Wellness Policy and have had their careers suffer significantly as a result, but the WWE's longing to promote Reigns as a top guy in the company has given him priority to do whatever he wants it seems.
Fans everywhere have been clamoring for Reigns to be removed from the upcoming championship match and to suffer the same punishment as everyone else for violating the Wellness Policy. In my eyes, I agree with the fans. If someone violates the Wellness Policy of their company, they should be punished in tandem and not be allowed any reward for such action for quite a long time. It sickens me that WWE would almost reward such behavior and would turn a blind eye to the situation. This subject matter should be a lesson to athletes anywhere that as long as you are a top guy like John Cena and Roman Reigns, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
