The wake up call to domestic violence within the NFL, an issue that's plagued the league arguably as long as their has been an NFL, was supposed to be the Ray and Janay Rice incident last year. The great fans of this great game were not only determined to maintain a zero tolerance for domestic abuse, but we were also committed to being proactive in every aspect that was related to professional sports. We promised to be advocates of counseling, therapy, discussion, policy review, and all the other catch words and phrases that always seem fitting when problem-solving is on the table. There was a level of accountability we were to hold players, coaches, and owners to. We demanded a better human being to be involved in the game we hold so dear. To this date, what actually happened was a revelation of a grotesque truth...which is above all things, play the game.
Greg Hardy beat his girlfriend. Not in the Rices' fashion...this was not a fight. He beat her. She's got the war wounds to prove it. He's even got a retaliation scar or two. As if the story of him beating her and throwing her on a bed covered in guns wasn't enough, pictures of her bruises were released to the public last week. It show no-excuse -violence at it's absolute worst. But we all looked past it.
We were first guided to look past the horror this summer when Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, signed Hardy to a contract. The campaign was continued when he stepped on the field after a brief suspension (Hardy violated the NFL Personal Conduct Policy with the incident); and it was driven home after the pictures appeared...as Jones commented that he was eager to keep Hardy on the team. Many of us gasped at Jones' comments, but that was about it.
Last night, the Cowboys-Eagles game was the most watched Sunday Night Football game this season. It was the most watched prime time Sunday program since the 2014 Academy Awards that March. 24.3 million viewers quickly forgot what Nichole Holder's back, arms, wrists, neck, and feet looked like. We forgot how sick we were to see what a punch between a male professional football player and a small framed woman looked like. We forgot to be concerned. Instead, we told ourselves because Hardy gave Holder a huge sum of money in a settlement agreement (this was after he was proven guilty, but then appealed) that it wasn't that bad. We we were convinced that if the Cowboys saw Hardy fit to play, then it wasn't really abuse. And when the pictures came out, we....well....just waited for the game to start.
I think we, meaning all professional, part time, and occasional human rights activists who are also football fans need to question our real concern with anything that threatens the showing of the game. And if we go any further, we can also connect that question to our thoughts about any and every form of entertainment we enjoy. While many of us have said we wouldn't want a Rice or a Hardy on our respective teams, the truth is it really doesn't matter...because we're watching even if it's the Jaguars in London.
The numbers prove that and say much, much more. They say that domestic violence is desperately important to most of us only when it involves a close family member. But concerning an artist or athlete, we indeed are not moved. The entertainment value is much too high. But just imagine if those 24 million people said we're not watching as long as Hardy's on the field. Not only would Hardy be released instantly, but he would've been forced to re-analyze his overall behavior...possibly get on the pathway to change; as if you look at the games and read the reports, that's happening now. All of this we forewent for the love of the game, not the love of people, With that being said, either get real about addressing domestic violence consistently, or admit it's not that big of a deal.
Peace
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