Little Joe Loudmouth - The Mishandling Of Ray Rice
This is a sad topic to talk about and, like everyone else, I have strong opinions about it. What Ray Rice did was disgusting and he absolutely should be punished for his actions, but let's not get it twisted - the only reason he lost his job is because WE saw the video.
How commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL handled this is shameful. To say that they never saw the video is comical. Are we actually supposed to believe that this billion dollar corporation never saw this video? If that's true, which I don't believe it is, then why were they ok with the investigation? There is a video. You need to see it. Case closed.
There were reports early on that there was a video and that the NFL had indeed seen it. For them to now deny that is ridiculous. And how could the NFL NOT know that this video would get out? In today's society, with TMZ & Deadspin, it was just a matter of time that this video would surface, and that the public would see it.
So again, if Harvey Levin of TMZ can get the video by asking the Casino for it, why was it so hard for the NFL to get the video? What is the NFL covering up? This couldn't have been handled any worse.
As for the punishment of Ray Rice, I didn't need to see the video. I read the accounts, I knew two games wasn't enough. But after the negative backlash for only suspending Rice two games, commissioner Goodell comes out and with a new domestic violence policy where first time domestic violence offenders get a minimum six games and second time offenders get a life time ban. It's not like this is the first time that a domestic violence arrest has happened under Goodells watch. So what happens to Ray McDonald if proven guilty? This isn't Ray McDonalds first run-in with the law as he was arrested on an outstanding warrant in 2012, which in term stemmed from a 2010 DUI. It's a slippery slope when you start policing these crimes, especially 1 as ugly as domestic violence. What determines six games and what determines indefinitely? The public seeing a video?
What I do know is that for seven months the NFL and commissioner Goodell knew about this crime. Seven months! They didn't act swiftly like Chris Berman said on Monday Night Football when he commended the Ravens and NFL for how quickly they acted. It was handled embarrassingly, clumsily and most of all, shamefully.
That leads me to how to talk about this and how not to talk about this. As mentioned, Chris Berman and Trent Dilfer talked about it on MNF as if they knew they needed to address the situation, but didn't have all the information to actually talk about it. It truly was cringe-worthy TV. Take a look.
Good job, Boomer.
Now, on the way, my old buddy Mark Schlereth handled talking about this was spot on. The emotion he delivered it with, addressing it from both sides and going after the league. Kudos Stink, you nailed this.
So where does this leave us? Goodell on the hotseat, as he should be. A wife, Janay Rice, having to relive this ugly situation over and over again. A troubled young man hopefully going to be able to get help and move forward, but most likely has played his last game. There's no way this ends nicely. As I said when I started this blog, it's just sad.
