The NFL and Domestic Abuse

I love NFL football. I grew up watching the Chicago Bears every Sunday afternoon with my dad. Dad is gone, but I still love my Chicago Bears. And, I love the game. The strategy, the amazing athletic skills and the unbelievable comebacks - it's a way to escape every day life. Or, it should be. Nothing can keep the world out, however. Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, two of the NFL's most gifted players, have used their considerable strength to injure physically weaker people they claim to love. I look back at players like Walter Payton, who rarely lost his composure even on the field, and wonder what happened. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, initially gave Ray Rice a slap on the wrist, suspending him from playing in two games. Two games? The firestorm from that little act of stupidity is still burning strong. After a more graphic video of the punch Rice planted on his then fiancee's head causing her to lose consciousness was released, Goodell suspended him indefinitely. Enter reports and an arrest for Adrian Peterson who is accused of physically abusing his 4-year old son by using a switch to "discipline" him. Discover it's not the first time Peterson has been investigated for child abuse. What is wrong with these guys? I don't for a minute think that these two are the only players in the history of the NFL who engaged in violent behavior. I am sure there is a long, sad history of physical abuse. It's harder to sweep accusations, videos and confessions under the rug now. Everyone can see the Rice video. Everyone can read Peterson admitting he hit his child with a switch and read the police reports. The only up side I see to any of this is that the NFL is being forced to address the problems of domestic violence and child abuse within its ranks. It's about time.