NFL Criminal Behavior

Kyler Evans
12/1/17
Mrs. Sapp
“The NFL and the Criminal Behavior of Football Players”

American political commentator George F. WIll once stated on the violence of football, “Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”(Will) Throughout the course of the sport history, there have been many changes to the rules regulations and procedures by which the players and sports fans abide by. From equipment changes to a change in score-tallying, there have been deviations in the way the game has been played since it was first conceived. However, what has stayed consistently in the roots of the game up until this day is its origin in organized and entertainment based violence. The thrashing

of bodies against bodies willed to defeat their opponent by true force has not been stifled by dangers of injury in the form of head-trauma, broken bones, torn Achilles or any physical ailment in between.

In short, football has been violent and more than likely will stay that way. For many players, this is not seen as a risk or roulette but instead a showing of toughness and masculinity. Many players play the game with a sense of new-age honor previously displayed by warriors of battle. Players like retired linebacker Ray Lewis and Charles Woodson are praised and revered for their toughness over many years f play in such a violent sport. However,when that same notion of violence and criminality is taken out of the rules of the game-fighting other players on the field, sexual assault, and domestic violence-the NFL is very staunch on how they feel about these players decisions and are very fearful of allowing them back on the field. This seems backwards and begs the question: where is the line drawn and

what does the effect of violence have on the game, the players, and the viewership alike.
Many of the instances of violent acts seen by the NFL are oftentimes found off the field. These include issues that range anywhere from the illegal use of drugs to the ownership of a weapon illegally to the heinous crime of simple murder. In these cases, we see that violence and criminal behavior is in its truest form in the sense that there is no misidentification of what it is. There is no doubt that what Aaron Hernandez was a violent act when he was charged with three counts of murder nor when Ray Rice was caught on video abusing his girlfriend. These acts are considered simple to answer because by both legal and common definitions they are, in fact, criminal and violent. However, when discussing issues that occur on the field of play, the line of definition becomes blurred. There is a much different system of justice and legal definition of “criminal” when it is seen on a football field. It can ,therefore, alter the definition of what it actually is. This due to the issue of a few things. First, acceptable forms of violence has been ingrained into the history and origin of football since the beginning of it’s inception in the convert form of rivalries and grudge matches. Most notably, these include games such as the the Atlanta Falcons vs. the New Orleans Saints, the Dallas Cowboys vs the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Green Bay Packers and many more like it. These rivalries can be originated from a number of things including location, previous games that been monumental to a franchise, or even have a deep dislike routed primarily from the fan-base.The rivalries have shown to turn nasty resulting in brawls, on field battles a flurry of penalties and ejections on both sides. Along with these team rivalries, there have equally been rivalries between players most. This brings up the second reason for the prominence of violence in football: the difference in mindsets by offensive and defensive players. In an interview with Colin Cowherd on his talk show The Herd retired NFL Linebacker Ray Lewis stated: “ I don’t like too many offensive guys. It’s ok. I just don’t really like to many.” The discussion was steamed from the feud between New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and former Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman and their one-on-one that became unncessarily physical. The discussion was steamed around how many defensive players don’t get the same adoration as their offensive counterparts. Lewis continues to comment on how defensive players “ constantly play with a chip on their shoulder” and have to “ take the things they want.” It's with this mentality that brawls between players happen the way they do. As a matter of fact, the NFL has had recent cases involving WR vs. DB brawls stemming from heated confrontation and competition resulting in the same instances of fines and the requirement of public apologies and explanations from their actions. Take for example the instance of Aj Green and Jalen Ramsey. On November 5th, 2017 the Cincinnati Bengals played the Jacksonville Jaguars. Towards the end of the first half, a fight broke out between star receiver A.J. Green for the BEngals and star defensive back Jalen Ramsey. The altercation was apparently spawned by antagonizing perpetrated by Ramsey who has proven to be a trash talker amongst the league players. Ramsey said something that got under the skin of Green as well as pushed the Bengals receiver resulting in two consecutive body slams by Green and a fight between both players. The altercation resulted in an ejection of both players from the game as well Greens inability to travel with the team in their game against the Titans. Though it is not warranted by the NFL the out burst by Green was not of the slight unusual. More and more, the tenacious attitude of the game as well as its previously stated violent origin has produced similar incidents with players such as the chain snatching of Michael Crabtrees chain by Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib( from this current year and a year prior, the battle of Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins and DeAngelo Hall during an exhibition practice as well as the previously state continuous battle of Odell Beckham Jr and Josh Norman. With these multiple examples of football superpower vs. superpower, it is hard to believe that competition would not be a factor. However, this competitive spirit is heightened and hyperbolized by the origin of the sport and its connection to violence. These competitive battles are merely an extension of modern day gladiators doing battle in the arena and it would be nearly impossible for something other wise to transpire. To put it most concisely, the environment of football does seem to produce violent tendencies. However, this is a flawed outlook in itself particularly because this examination is not black and white. In other words, a player can seem violent and criminal on the field and be a completely different person off it. A perfect example is pro-bowl cornerback Richard Sherman. Known for his ability to lockdown receivers with his great placement and ball skills, Sherman is regularly listed as one of the best cornerbacks in the game today. However, with that high-praise he is given a large spotlight and is most notably critiqued for his constant barrage of trash-talk. This has made him target of much criticism on and off the field. Following the 2014 NFC Championship game in which Sherman tipped the game-winning touchdown into the hands of his fellow defender to seal their victory, Sherman went onto proclaim himself as “the best cornerback in the league”According to an article by Elite’s Daily detailing the rhetoric surrounding Sherman, “the word “thug” was uttered 625 times across all markets, more than on any other day in the past three years. By Tuesday, that number climbed to more than 1,500, as sports analysts and news reporters alike sought to package Sherman’s entire identity in four letters(Kaufman)”. What’s most notable and disturbing about this rhetoric is not only that it is undeserving simply because there are multiple players who have also exhibited the same ideas but because Sherman himself has been far from what many would consider a “thug” his whole life. Sherman graduated salutadictorian in his high school where he played both football and track. He would later attend Stanford University where he would split time between playing cornerback and wide receiver while maintaining a 3.9 GPA. This all goes to point out how redundant and unwarranted these accusations were. However, Sherman falls victim to a perceived idea of NFL players,especially those on the defense. He is criminalized and given no true opportunity to be recognized for the true talent he is. In turn, the criminality that is apart of the NFL greatly heightened because of its origin. The game that is loved by many is often times can cause the greatest harm to the players themselves and eventually the game all together.
Within the NFL, there is much violence and criminal behavior associated with the sport and it’s play.

However, just as there is criminality experienced within the boundary of play, so is true outside it. In recent years, there have been a multitude of cases that have been focused on the criminal behavior of players. The largest epidemic of crimes has been most notably related to domestic violence. Players hitting their spouses and significant others has garnered a great deal of attention from domestic violence groups putting pressure on the NFL to handle any and all issues that cross their table. It’s quite ironic to think that the NFL is considered dangerous and violent on the field yet they have this large responsibility of making their sure their players are not such elsewhere. For example, star running-back Ezekiel Elliott was suspended six games following an investigation in which a young woman accused him of abusing her. Through the investigation, it was found that Elliot was drunk during some of the altercation leading him to make poor decisions of judgement. Elliot has attempted appealing the decision throughout the duration of the season but for the most part has failed. Though tragic, Elliot is a perfect example of what happens to player who break the rules. The NFL was very staunch in his ruling. This was also the case for players in the past. Back in 2014, Adrian Peterson was charged for child abuse and indefinitely removed from the Minnesota Vikings roster.

During this time, the NFL was taking a great deal of criticism for how they were handling domestic violence cases even more so than currently. Therefore, players like Peterson had absolutely no wiggle room. I say all of this because it seems ironic. Football has very well be designated as a sport of grit and violence. It does not surprise me that it is required to uphold its players to the same standard. However, I believe that it is slightly hypocritical by the people who watch the sport because exactly what they watch is in itself violence and criminal.