Did the NFL see the footage of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice striking his wife unconscious before it was released Monday?
The NFL claimed they didn’t see the footage before TMZ released the footage Monday morning.
Is that really true? I don’t think so.
If TMZ got access to the footage, the NFL could have easily gotten access.
The NFL didn’t act hard enough in the first place when they saw the footage of Rice dragging his then fiancees’ unconscious body out of a hotel elevator. The original punishment was a two-game suspension. Commissioner Roger Goodell was too lenient on Rice.
Domestic violence is a serious issue not only in this country and should not be taken lightly on any circumstances. The NFL did not serve the correct punishment when the Rice footage was released in February and now Goodell has decided to act like a true commissioner and do what he should’ve done sooner; suspend Rice indefinitely from the NFL.
Goodell came out on Aug. 28 and said that he “didn’t get it right” with the original decision to suspend Rice for two games. Goodell then promised to change the way domestic violence punishments are handled in the NFL by suspending first time offenders for six games and a lifetime ban for repeat offenders.
This gives the NFL a black eye and it all falls under its commissioner Roger Goodell. He can’t control what happens off the field with his players, but the necessary actions needed to be taken to help stop domestic violence in his league. Goodell and the NFL acted too late in the quest to limit domestic violence.
Goodell and the NFL have failed miserably. The NFL, the Baltimore Ravens, and the justice system have failed when it comes to the case of Ray Rice.
The original suspension of Rice put many questions in the minds of NFL fans everywhere and questioned the legitimacy of Goodell’s grasp on the league that he runs. The original suspension put the Ravens in an awkward position and made the NFL look bad as the story continued to drag on for months.
Goodell has dealt with many issues when it comes to the integrity of his league and has handled with with an iron fist. The issues have been piling up as of late and it may be proving to be too much for Goodell.
The role of then-fiancee and now wife of Rice, Janay Rice, was heavily questioned in the confrontation in which she claimed she helped provoke the argument that led to Rice striking her. The TMZ video released Monday proved Ray Rice was the aggressor in the situation.
The released video forced the Ravens to terminate the contract of Rice and forced the NFL to make a decision that equaled what the Ravens did.
People need to take action against the NFL and how they have handled the situation against Rice. The right punishment was made, but it came too late, and it all falls on the commissioner.
