EMPOWERED FANS MUST CONTINUE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
By Reece Funderburk || On Sunday, July 27th, the NFL officially endorsed domestic violence and backed the brutality of the crime in the form of Ray Rice’s left fist.
Rice, the subject of the controversy you’ve surely heard by now, assaulted his then fiancée, Janay Rice, in an elevator, with footage at the time showing him dragging her unconscious body out of an Atlantic City elevator.
The penalty for this crime? A measly and insignificant two game suspension.
Now that video has been leaked to the public showing what happened inside the elevator, a public uproar has forced the National Football League’s hand as well as the Baltimore Ravens’ organization to fire Rice and suspend him indefinitely.
So all is set now. The NFL has since created a new domestic violence policy that permanently removes a player from ever playing again after their second charge. Let me emphasize that. SECOND.
So yes, the NFL has upped its policy but apparently it’s still not a severe issue that warrants automatic removal. All you’ve done is simply slap the player on the back and tell him, “Alright, here’s your get out of jail free card.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Ravens’ organization claim to have never seen the inside the elevator footage until it was released to the public yesterday. Which might have been worse then saying they’d already seen it. Now, they look guilty of not doing enough research into the situation.
But let’s say for a minute that I actually believe the NFL (I don’t).
What difference does it make if you haven’t seen the footage of the actual assault? At the time you handed down the suspension, there was already footage of Janay entering the elevator consciously and being dragged out unconsciously! Why did you need to see the graphic assault that results in the exact same outcome you already knew?
Despicable, that’s what the NFL has been shown to be. Every single person involved with this incident has lost all credibility that they might have previously had – regardless of whatever future punishment may come Ray Rice’s way. Rice belongs in a jail and arguably all involved in the judicial process throughout his trial should lose their own jobs including prosecutor Jim McClain and superior court judge Michael Donio.
Failure to punish a man guilty of assaulting his now wife – and failure to locate evidence of the actual assault inside the elevator are the crimes that the New Jersey prosecutors are guilty of. After this stupidity, they should all lose their jobs as well – either for committing malpractice or for being too incompetent for their current positions.
Next we have the Ravens’ organization – which had the ignorance to hold a press conference that included Ray Rice and his assaulted wife Janay at the same table in front of media members. The same organization that had the nerve to put out a statement saying this blasphemy:
“Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident”
And then after disregarding Janay Rice, who has to sit in a room and say all the right things for fear of possibly being beaten again, the Raven’s General Manager Ozzie Newsome goes on to say this
“While not having Ray for the first two games is significant to our team, we respect the league’s decision and believe it is fair.”
Fair judgment, huh?
Every member of the Ravens’ organization from the president to the head coach should be fired for letting this play out as long as it did. For allowing Rice to play in the preseason with the team and even receive a standing ovation from Baltimore fans. For having the indecency to allow this man comfort and a place to escape from prison.
And finally Roger Goodell and his hierarchy of officials in the NFL offices. Commissioner Goodell, NFL Chief Counsel Jeff Pash and more all deserve to lose their jobs as well. If Rice must go, so should his enablers. The ones who would rather suspend or fine players for substance abuse on drugs such as Adderall or drugs to help male fertility to speed up pregnancy.
In the end, do I believe they’ll listen to me? No, but to everyone that reads this, realize you still have a voice. So when this atrocity happens again, and it will, remember, you can make a difference. Don’t stand and cheer. Don’t watch the press conferences or support the statues built outside stadiums that are of figures who arguably murdered someone or obstructed justice (Ray Lewis with the RAVENS!)
Just realize you still have a voice and still make a difference. It happened this time and we’ll need to do it again.
Reece Funderburk is currently the producer for the “Reynolds and Gunter” show on 560TheTeam Monday through Friday from 3-6 p.m. He also hosts own show “The Saturday Morning Blitz” on Saturday morning from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. ET on WUSC 90.5 FM. He can be found on twitter @TheSMBlitz.
40 comments
When Rice goes to court, the NFL will be forced to rescind their indefinite suspension. Rice may not get a new gig but the NFL is so knee jerk in their reactions that they’d never win in arbitration or court.
It’s a shame Mrs. Rice doesn’t have an older brother linebacker to teach Ray some manners.
When are women going to man up?
Wouldn’t it have been funny if after the ineffective left hook she had beat his ass six ways from Sunday?
He’s not going to court. He was put in a pre-trial intervention program.
Last me rephrase, “when Mr.Rice sues the NFL…”
“It’s a shame Mrs. Rice doesn’t have an older brother linebacker to teach Ray some manners.”
Fist-punching a female and knocking her unconscious does not have anything to do with “manners”.
That’s a euphemism for making sure that Ray never, ever, thinks about “fist punching” her again.
Thanks for the clarification, Colonel.
Any time.
Many have missed the fact that this story is all about race not domestic violence. Goddell came down easy on Rice the first time because the racist thugs that control the playerss union and race hustlers Jackson and Sharpton weresaying that Goddell was treating black players to severly with punishments so with a new barginning agreement on the horizon Goddell tried to appease the the natives. The players union consider Goddell a slavemaster and are using this to try and get rid of him.this really has nothing to do with Rice and his wife.
I guess you could find race in just about any issue if you look hard enough but this is really about a couple of very simple principles;
Actions have consequences
and
Men don’t hit women – ever.
I hear you. If he had done that to my sister, the NFL/Ravens would be suing me for property damages.
In sum, 1) fire everyone, 2) throw your money at the next freak of nature with borderline personality disorder that can carry the rock, 3) go back to ignoring the thousands of women who get beat up on a daily basis.
Isn’t it great to live in the world where the NFL is tasked with upholding society’s moral code with an iron fist while I sit on my ass and play fantasy football?
My criteria for picking my fantasy football team includes “Look(ing) at that little monkey run!”, not whether they open doors for their women or beat them with a broom handle.
well that worked out well for the guy who picked up Ray Rice, huh.
Actually it would have, he had a miserable year last year.
You people have to use context with Rice. Niggers treat their ho’s like that. She hit him first if you look at the video. Niggers respect you if you stand up for yourself. That means you better back up your ice grill with violence. It is not nothing for a nigger to kill if it is a matter of street justice. Even if they are wrong, they never back down. You will have to knock the shit out of them one way or the other unless you can use your mouth to get out of the situation. You better know your shit if you run off at the mouth…niggers will fuck with you to see what you got. You can probably blame protestant beliefs stating anyone is saved from damnation to hell if they accept Jesus in their hearts. That line of crap is one of the biggest lies going. So death means little to folks who buy into that bull.
She married him for the money. He married her for the sex. If she tried to leave him now, she would be killed. She has to stand up for him. They need that paycheck. That being said, it doesn’t matter what Goodell did. The two game suspension was justified based on the charge of felony assault that was dropped. Rice could have a lawsuit against the Ravens and Goddell since they handed down the suspension and he accepted the two game suspension. No new charges are pending, the case has been adjudicated.
As far as CDV goes, I would wager most fights start over sex, money, and substance abuse. When you throw in intoxication and running off at the mouth, someone is going to get hit or shot. That is how people roll. Emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse are all part and parcel for CDV. I suggest a violent offender database for all people convicted of any violent crime. Throw in GPS monitoring and fines, you can start to reign it in.
Go Reece! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I’ve had women dump my sorry ass without a whimper. Should I start beating them to keep them around? That sounds ironic,no?
We pay these young men Millions to be extremely violent for four hours on fall Sundays. They are highly incentedd to be good at their craft. Then we are “surprised” when they act in violent ways during the rest of the week. Shame on us as well.
he’s a running back, not a linebacker – although I get what you’re saying. but should we condone Cops and active duty military to beat their wives as well? You said it yourself – they’re getting PAID to be “violent” on the field. It’s their job. When you get home, stop working.
Please tell me who Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Tim Tebow, Y.A. Tittle, Tom Brady, Roger Staubach, “Mean” Joe Green, Hershel Walker, Warrick Dunn and Nnamdi Asomugha hit?
On August 4, 1967, Namath assaulted a reporter in a bar and was fined by the team. The reporter was Charles Parmiter, Sports Editor for Time Magazine.
In the case of Namath and Parmiter there was a fight in the Open End Bar in NYC – Parmiter sued Namath and Namath countersued – both suits were dismissed. There is disagreement over who started it but Namath won the fight.
Since this one is on off the field altercation (albeit a fist fight between two men), I withdraw Namath and insert JJ Watt in his place. The question still stands – when 90% of the players act like they have some home training, why are the 10% permitted to act like complete idiots?
“Mean” Joe Greene was famously sued by the driver of a sound cart for assault. A book was written about the incident. He was nominated in an ESPN as one of the dirtiest players in professional sports.
As I recall that incident, Greene was run over by the cart driver, Green hit him, the cart driver sued and lost. Dirty is relative and the reason I included him is that he left it all on the field.
Hershel Walker claimed “multiple personality disorder” when his (now former) wife, Cindy Grossman, accused him of multiple assault wither knives, razers, and knives. He admitted the charges. Need any more examples from your list of “angels”?
Hershel Walker claimed “multiple personality disorder” when his (now former) wife, Cindy Grossman, accused him of multiple assaults with razers, knives, and guns. He admitted the charges. Need any more examples ffrom your “list of angels”?
I had forgotten about that – I withdraw him. Not trying to make the case that any of them are angels rather that the majority act like civilized human beings so there is no reason to accept the freaks.
Good one, Reece. Right on the money.
This is trite ignorance. Again: You have people pontificating on this who don’t live, or never will live, the type of life of the people they are advising. You are cushy burb-dwellers who take this as a cause to medicate your boredom from your insulation.
We have all but outlawed morality in this country. When you do that, you get a hodge-podge of leftist-driven outrage, but nothing with any substance, consistency or foundation.
Liberals, or those who follow their lead, are boring and passe. This is actually the beating of a woman, at the hands of all liberals, Liberal-tarians, and God haters.
You told us your society was better…it’s not. And Ray Rice, and those dead children in Lexington demonstrate why it’s not. You need to quit worshiping pop culture, and get down on your knees and repent to the REAL God. Your false gods are failing you.
It must be really shitty to be you…
Yell SoooWeee…and the pigs come a runnin’…don’t they???….LMAO…
Wow, you sure are a bitter, miserable person, eh? BTW: religion is for the stupid, weak and/or gullible.
so NFL isn’t bound by the Constitution and double jeopardy is acceptable, ‘specially since they’re trying to sissify the game down from the on field brutality to appeal to a female and growingly feminized audience… go fig. Like NASCAR, since going Hollywood the incidence of shark jumping in the NFL is on the rise.
Well written and well reasoned.
Where have you gone Juan Marichal?
Well hell, maybe next time Rice gets p/o’ed at his baby-mama he should just shoot her to death behind a bathroom door…apparently that’s okay as of this morning. Rice is now blaming the incident on alcohol….NO Ray-Ray….you’re simply an over-steroided AZZhat.
Wow, the media is going after the cover up in the NFL’s administration office harder then they went after the president’s administration for the Benghazi cover up.
“Rice belongs in a jail and arguably all involved in the judicial process throughout his trial should lose their own jobs including prosecutor Jim McClain and superior court judge Michael Donio.”
Bravo!
Let’s not forget, the same prosecutor and judge that granted Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) to Ray Rice denied that same PTI to Shaneen Allen. If you don’t recognize her name, she is the single mom who carried her legally purchased handgun and her valid PA License To Carry Firearms (LTCF aka carry permit) into NJ because she wrongly assumed her LTCF was universally accepted like her driver’s license. When stopped for a traffic violation in NJ she provided the officer with her LTCF and informed him that she was “legally” (in her mind) carrying a firearm. She was then arrested and is now facing 3-12 years in prioson! This woman threatened no one, she violently attacked no one, yet McClain and Donio denied her request to enter the PTI program.
Here is the definition of PTI from the court’s website:
The objective of PTI is to provide defendants charged with victimless or less serious offenses an opportunity to avoid prosecution and receive early rehabilitative services.
Now, you tell me which individual is more deserving of PTI enrollment? How could ANYONE allow Ray Rice to participate, yet deny this option to Shaneen Allen?
Yes, both the judge and the prosecutor need to be unemployed!