Postgame Press: Suspended and saintly NFL stars

Welcome to Postgame Press, the column about current, hot-button sports events … that take place off the field. The week’s best plays may have been fun to watch, but there is plenty more happening after the final buzzer. Without further ado, here is a look into a serious issue in the NFL, and a brighter spot for the league.

A Serious Note: Ezekiel Elliott’s Suspension

Pro Football Weekly’s 2016 Rookie of the Year, star Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, is in an ongoing battle against a six-game suspension given by the NFL. The suspension came after the NFL investigated Elliott for domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Thompson. The league investigators, as reported by NFL.com, found “substantial and persuasive evidence supporting a finding that [Elliott] engaged in physical violence against Ms. Thompson on multiple occasions during the week of July 16, 2016.”

This case is particularly interesting because it is one of several recent domestic assault issues in the NFL. Ravens running back Ray Rice (say that 10 times fast) was suspended for two games in 2014 for a domestic dispute with his girlfriend.Then, video evidence of the assault surfaced and the NFL decided to suspend him indefinitely, despite no new information being revealed by the video. This sudden change was, instead, likely a response to the uproar that the absurdly minuscule two-game suspension elicited from the public. There was an altogether sense of confusion in how to deal with the situation. After, the NFL created a domestic violence policy to avoid future issues. The policy stated: “a first offense will subject the offender to a baseline suspension without pay of six games … A second offense will result in permanent banishment from the NFL.” Rice was later reinstated.

In 2016, Giants kicker Josh Brown was involved in a domestic dispute. For the NFL, it seemed simple: abide by the conduct policy, right? Wrong. His suspension was only one game.It also became clear that it was not his first offense.CNN reported, “Brown had admitted to team officials that he had abused his wife in the past.” The league once again, pun intended, dropped the ball. There are many questions left regarding how seriously the NFL takes domestic violence. Tom Brady's suspension was four games for supposedly deflating footballs, yet men who abused their partners missed a game or two. Reform was, and still is, a must.

Elliott’s suspension seems like the first time the NFL has gotten the highly sensitive issue right. Now, it is up to Texas courts, as well as even higher-up circuit courts, to allow the suspension to be carried out. Hopefully, suspension served or not, this case sets a precedent that the NFL is cracking down on domestic violence and finally taking it seriously.

A Lighter Note

NFL star and Texans’ defensive end J.J. Watt recently created a YouCaring.com donation campaign for victims of Hurricane Harvey.Three weeks ago, the goal was $100,000. The total amount donated finished at $37 million. Talk about an overachiever. With plenty of young “Ezekiel Elliotts” in the NFL who need guidance, it is nice to know they can learn from role models like Watt.