Women's Shelter Director Discusses Domestic Abuse
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been terminated from the organization after recent videos surfaced of him physically abusing his girlfriend.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell initially suspended Rice for two games, but then another video exposed the truth behind the closed elevator doors.
Janet Scott-Mace, the associate director for the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, says it's what happened when the doors opened that causes concern for her. She says not showing any remorse or concern for his girlfriend's health shows he doesn't think what he did was wrong.
She addressed the fact that the NFL tried to keep the issue under wraps and take care of it subtly without too much publicity. Scott-Mace says this happens a lot when big organizations or famous people are involved in acts that could lose their parent company money.
Domestic Abuse (Part 1)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
When the second video came to light, Scott-Mace says the organization had to face the fact that a "money-maker" was going to lose them money if they didn't do something about the incident.
"But this was someone who had a lot of notoriety, this is someone who has power," said Scott-Mace. "Even though football players don't have a lot of authority politically, they have authority in terms of who they are and their prestige, and confronting them and holding them accountable seems to be different for people than if this were just Joe-Schmo off the street."
Scott-Mace sai this shows how people don't like to get involved and exposes the fact that what happens behind closed doors, will stay behind closed doors until someone can stand up and step in. Many people tend to idolize athletes and look up to them, we never assume they could do something like that.
Domestic Abuse (Part 2)
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Scott-Mace explains that when you cut to the chase, it comes down to how much power and authority do you have to avoid consequences.
"Go to the Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County courts and look what happens in terms of the guy who's unemployed and is arrested for terroristic threats and disorderly conduct," said Scott-Mace. "He's not even arrested for assault with his intimate partner and he gets the same kind of mandate to go to batterer's intervention as does Rice."
Scott-Mace details the next steps women in abusive situations should take to protect themselves from further abuse.
She say they need to create a safety plan, whether or not they choose to go back to their abuser. Specifically, the women need to recognize his habits and patterns that cause him to abuse her, and when she does see those signs, she needs to locate a safe location where she can go until things are better for her to return home.
If you are being abused by your partner or someone you know is being abused, please call the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh's 24-Hour Hotline at 412-687-8005 or toll free at 877-338-TALK (8255) or visit their website at: http://www.wcspittsburgh.org/
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