Wednesday, September 10, 2014

A few small points about the Ray Rice fiasco.

1) The Ravens and Nike are business entities that are only interested in protecting their own bottom lines. They didn't sever ties with Ray Rice because they wanted to punish him. They cut ties with Ray Rice because their marketing staff believes that keeping Rice around tarnishes their brand and threatens their profits.

2)That said, DovBear recognizes the right of Nike and the Ravens to pursue their own interests and to exercise any clauses in their contracts that might apply here. But don't fool yourself into think that Nike or the Ravens care about women or domestic violence. They'd both run "Beat Your Wife" promotions if the marketing data suggested it was profitable.

3) DovBear agrees that Ray Rice deserves public shame and financial loss and jail time.

4) DovBear believes that Ray Rice's wife/victim is entitled to stay with her husband and support him if she wishes. All we know is he hit her once. While that appears to be one excellent reason for her to throw him out, she might also have 10 million excellent reasons to stay with him. That's her call. We don't have enough evidence to disagree with it.

5) However, DovBear does not support the NFL's decision to hit Ray Rice with an indefinite suspension. The man is a football player. Its all he knows how to do. While knocking out your fiancee is a terrible crime, taking away the man's livelihood is a disproportionate response. Also, if we wish to protect his wife and rehabilitate her attacker is increasing Rice's resentment and frustration really the best course of action?

6) Its also cruel to leave him floating in the wind wondering if the suspension will ever be lifted.

7) B''deved, I'd support a lifetime ban from professional football. If Goodall thinks his league of gangsters and white color criminals is too upscale for a wife beater, he should say so now, and allow Rice to get on with his life.

8) L'chatchila, I think Goodall should give Rice a definite suspension - say 6 games, or even a full season - and then allow the NFL teams to decide for themselves if they wish to pay for Rice's services. My bet is that many teams (such as the always classy NY Giants) will stay away. But if, following the suspension, some desperate, degenerate team such as the Eagles of Philadelphia or the never-classy NY Jets think adding Rice to their roster makes business sense, they should be free to do so.

9) In short, Goodel should inflict a reasonable, fair, defined punishment - Rice did embarrass the league and that carries a penalty - and then allow the market to decide for itself if Ray Rice belongs in professional football.


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