5 Reasons Why Ray Rice's Punishment Wasn't Enough
By: Morgan Ragan
NFL running back Ray Rice was suspended by the NFL for two games after physical incident with his wife, Janay Palmer, at an Atlantic City hotel in February.
Here is footage of the incident TMZ provided:
The NFL came down sooooo hard on the Ravens running back, suspending him two games and fining him $58,000.
Do you sense the sarcasm? Two games may hurt the team early in the season, but it's not going to help take a stand against domestic violence.
Here are five reasons why Ray Rice's punishment just wasn't enough:
1. The Cheap Fine.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller put Ray Rice's fine quite simple.
A speeding ticket doesn't stop everyone from speeding and a fine like this is not going to help stop violent relationships or even make a dent in Rice's bank account.
2. The Lenient Suspension
The suspension is lenient when you take a look at these other suspensions handed out by the league over the years. Here is a chart of suspensions tweeted out by the Big Lead's Jason McIntyre:
3. A Missed Opportunity for The NFL to Take a Stand Against Domestic Violence
Every nine seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten in America. The league could've taken a stand to make fans more aware of domestic violence and try to help make the change that the United States needs.
The NBA commissioner Adam Silver took a stand against racism when he decided to ban Clippers owner Donald Sterling after he was recorded saying explicit racists comments. This hasn't ended all racism by any means, but it shows that the NBA will not tolerated that behavior from individuals in the league.
Here are some domestic violence statistics:
http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/
4. The League's Failed Attempt to Justify the Punishment
NFL's senior vice president of labor policy Adolpho Birch went on an ESPN radio show Monday morning to defend the Ray Rice punishment.
"Listen, I think if you are any player and you think that based on this decision that it's OK to go out and commit that kind of conduct, I think that is something that I would suggest to you that no player is going to go out and do that," Birch said. "So in terms of sending a message about what the league stands for, we've done that."
The NFL has sent a message that if you smoke weed, you're suspended for four games but if you commit an act of domestic violence towards your girlfriend or wife you get two!
5. Ray Rice Did Not Appeal
Why would he? Rice was probably thrilled that he'd miss only two games when he should've been suspended for at least six. This is not a real punishment for the act he committed.
Sure, the NFL has stated they don't condone domestic violence, but actions speak louder than words.
Listen to Morgan every day from 12-3 p.m. on The Deuce and Jason Ross Show.
Follow Morgan on Twitter @MoMoRagan
