The beginning of the NFL season excites many people all across the world. Millions of fans look forward to cheering on their favorite team, predicting dark horses, and watching the favorites to win the Super bowl. But this year, the headlines at the beginning of the season have not been the ones fans are used to seeing, or want to see.
It all started back in February when Ray Rice, the running back for the Baltimore Ravens was accused of hitting his fiancé while in an elevator. Investigators looked at the story along with the NFL. It was not until recently when the video was released of Rice striking his then fiancé in the face. The video shocked people all across the world, and resulted in at least a 1 year ban from the NFL. Not only were people disgusted with Rice’s actions, but people were also upset with the way the NFL handled the situation. Originally, the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, only suspended rice for two games. But, once the video was released, the NFL banned him for a minimum of one year, without pay. The drama behind this is the hotel where Rice committed his crime said the NFL has had the video for months, while the NFL is saying the first time they had seen the video was when it was leaked to the public.
Along with Rice, Greg Hardy from the Carolina Panthers has made headlines for another domestic violence charge. Hardy is guilty of assaulting his girlfriend. Once again, to go along with the disappointment of Hardy’s actions, fans are upset with the way Hardy has been punished. The NFL allowed Hardy to play the first game of the season, before putting him on the exempt list, with pay.
The last of the major off-field headlines come from Adrian Peterson, the one-time MVP running back for the Minnesota Vikings. Peterson was charged for child abuse, after spanking his son with a switch. After news of his crime, the Minnesota Viking deactivated Peterson indefinitely, with pay.
These three stories headline the off-field turmoil in the NFL. Fans of all teams hate seeing any player commit any crime, especially a crime of that caliber. Fans hope to see correct punishment for all three players, and look forward to being able to focus on just football, the game so many people love.