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Janay Palmer and Ray Rice. Rice knocked Palmer unconscious earlier this year. |
Hi friends of Katalusis,
I just got this email message, and I urge you to join me in signing the petition below that holds the NFL accountable for its "awful message to women."
Awful message from the NFL to women
1 message
Heidi Hess, CREDO Action | Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 8:36 AM |
Reply-To: "Heidi Hess, CREDO Action"
To: Virginia Bergman
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The NFL's violence against women problem
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Tell NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell:
"The shamefully insufficient two-game suspension of Ray Rice for
his documented assault of Janay Palmer sends a terrible message about
how the NFL views violence against women. You need to take a strong
stand and implement guidance--including appropriate discipline--for how
the league will handle domestic violence, sexual assault, and any other
violence against women in the future."
Add your name:
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Dear Virginia,
Earlier this year, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was
arrested for the aggravated assault of Janay Palmer, his fiancee. The
assault was especially newsworthy because video of Rice dragging an
unconscious Palmer off an elevator went viral, but it’s hardly the only
incident of violence against women involving NFL players.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has complete discretion in punishing
players who violate the league’s personal conduct policy. Last week, he
gave Rice a two-game suspension and a $58,000 fine. His decision to dole
out such a weak punishment, which is lighter than what players who
smoke marijuana receive, has sent shockwaves through the league and the
media. On Monday, the NFL doubled down when NFL senior vice president of
labor policy Adolpho Birch went on the radio and defended Goodell's
decision as "appropriate."
The NFL’s leadership is sending a clear but terrible message that violence against women doesn’t matter to the league.
Enough’s
enough: Join over 50,000 CREDO activists to tell NFL Commissioner
Goodell to take violence against women seriously. Click here to sign the
petition.
Violence against women is an obvious, long-term problem facing the NFL.1
But as high-profile arrests of players for domestic violence and sexual
assault continue, the league has done little or nothing. Most players
involved in domestic violence incidents have received suspensions of one
to three games. Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued longer
suspensions for pot smoking, taking Adderall, DUI’s, illegal tattoos,
and dogfighting.2
The commissioner has unilateral authority to punish people whose
behavior is viewed as "detrimental to the welfare" of the league. But
while players who are caught using marijuana or performance enhancing
drugs are routinely issued serious punishments of four or more games, the
NFL has consistently shied away from meaningful punishments for
domestic abuse, sexual assault, and violence against women in general.
What does it tell young men and women about women's value when
players receive harsher punishment for smoking pot than for violence
against women? The “boys will be boys” culture that spawned the
Steubenville tragedy and many a rape and abuse case in football programs
around the country is reinforced by a ruling like this.
When the NFL fails to deal seriously with incidents of
violence against women, it sends a message to every league employee and
fan that violence against women is OK. Tell Commissioner Goodell it’s
time for a change. Click the link below to sign the petition.
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/NFL_women?t=5&akid=11311.4080287.50h8dk
Thanks for standing up for women.
Heidi Hess, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
Add your name:
- “Here’s What Happens When an NFL Player Beats His FiancĂ©e Unconscious, Dave Zirin, The Nation, 07/24/2014.
- “The NFL's Domestic Violence Problem,”Jane McManus, ESPNW, 07/24/2014.
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