On the NFL's (Cowardly) Suspension Judgment

08/28/2014

Josh Gordon getting one year for failing a drug test (marijuana) and Ray Rice getting 2 games for knocking his woman unconscious could be the punishments handed out in any other dimension that includes the NFL. But in ours? It feels like Opposite Day.

So the other day, when I posted about Ray Rice and Brandon Meriweather getting 2 game suspensions each for very different infractions, I hesitated to express my outright fury at the notion that there should be some sort of precedent, or collectively bargained rule set, that defines the how a non-football violation, like sexual assault or domestic violence, should be treated. Lest we for get, these players are supposed to be the shining community examples of hard work and talent can change your fate and set your family up for generations. I digress.

At this point, the NFL has passed its judgments, and this is how it ranks:

1. Fail a drug test for weed (which is still, unbelievably, defined as the equivalent of heroin), with a history of failed drug tests for that same controlled substance: 1 year

2. Aim above the chest / neck while tackling a player, with a history of similar, violent hits: 2 games (frankly, could / should have been more)

3. Get caught hitting your to-be-wife on camera and dragging her out of an elevator like a caveman, with the video going viral and kids / athletes around the Internet / world watching to see what "hammer" the NFL would drop, and with no real precedent for judging this particular action except maybe all the previous sexual assaults involving NFL players as comparable situations: 2 games (laughable)

Message received, NFL.