Morality in the NFL

Written by Taylor Odenat

This past season, the National Football League found themselves in the limelight for the drastic misbehavior of a few notable football players. Of all the misconduct, the players that seemed to strike up the most conversation and commotion were former RB for the Baltimore Ravens, Ray Rice, and former DE of the Carolina Panthers Greg Hardy.

Ray Rice was a promising running back for the Ravens under Coach John Harbaugh and contributed to their Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers back in 2012. He pounded his way to 59 yards in the game and the Ravens seemingly were set at QB, RB, and Defensive positions for at least the next few years. Then Ray Rice would commit a career derailing act that he may never get himself out of.

Ray Rice was videotaped knocking out his then fiancee now wife Janay Rice in an elevator and dragging her unconscious body out of aforementioned elevator. The scandal ran on news stations for months and plagued the NFL in the process. Commissioner Roger Goodell methodically sat and contemplated a verdict for Ray Rice ,however, the longer he waited the worse the NFL’s image became. Goodell would proceed to give a punishment that was heavily criticized by fans of the sport and everyday Americans and perceived as too light of a penalty for the crime committed. Goodell gave Rice a two game suspension for his actions which many saw as a slap in the face to the problem at hand: domestic violence. The discipline dropped on Rice wasn't nearly what he deserved for assaulting his (now) wife and didn't show that the NFL really felt that domestic abuse was an extreme issue. The Baltimore Ravens took matters into their own hands and terminated the running backs contract , sending the message that domestic violence is nothing that should be taken lightly; especially not two games suspension light.

Weeks after Ray Rice’s situation dissipated, Greg Hardy’s wrongdoing surfaced making domestic violence a seemingly recurring issue among NFL players. Hardy was accused of grabbing victim Nicole Holder, throwing her to the floor, throwing her into the bathtub, slamming her against a futon, and strangling her. These are all very serious offenses and would rightfully lead to Hardy being suspended for every game but one in this past NFL season. However, prosecution hasn't been able to find Holder and without her testimony they had no case to present. In result, the criminal charges against Hardy have now been dropped. It is assumed that Holder and Hardy came to some sort of settlement causing Holder not to speak on what occurred. Although the charges have been dismissed, Hardy’s domestic abuse case has left a stain on his image and the NFL since he continues to play in this league. Ray Rice hasn't received a call from an NFL team and is still a free agent after his termination and Greg Hardy should be as well. Not even Hardy’s former team felt the NFL needed the distraction of his presence in their organization and in the league as a whole.

The Cowboys, one of the most publicized and scrutinized teams in the league, headed by owner Jerry Jones, brought themselves back in the public eye by signing Greg to a 1-year deal. Before the acquisition, Dallas seen as a team that could make noise in the playoffs and possibly win their division. However, Greg Hardy now single-handedly makes them a Super Bowl contender; but at what price.

While the Baltimore Ravens did the ethical decision of not continuing to use Ray Rice's services, the Cowboys decided to go a different route. Wins equal money and a championship, which are things that Jerry Jones loves. However, the issue of domestic abuse is a subject bigger than football and Greg Hardy’s name on a Cowboy’s roster spot doesn't demonstrate that.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/28/report-panthers-are-done-with-greg-hardy/, http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/greg-hardy-ray-rice.jpg&imgrefurl=http://thebiglead.com/2014/08/01/why-has-ray-rice-been-covered-so-much-more-than-greg-hardy/&h=665&w=1000&tbnid=MjjlggPBWlmPIM:&zoom=1&docid=qvi0gWzdbrEdFM&ei=jdQZVavZAbbLsATU-YKgCw&tbm=isch&ved=0CBwQMygAMAA,http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmacramalla/2015/02/09/while-domestic-violence-charges-abruptly-dismissed-nfl-may-still-suspend-greg-hardy-2/