NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walks on the field before an NFL football game in Seattle.READ MORECook: Any given Sunday
Adrian Peterson
Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been cut by the team over a domestic dispute.ESPN commentator Hannah Storm delivered a passionate soliloquy last weekend, asking the NFL what it stands for when it comes to domestic violence.
It's a fair question, and no one has an answer that applies on all levels. Yes, they want the love of the masses, but they can't answer for the fact that they have spit in the face of the female population -- almost 46 percent of the NFL's fan base, including Storm and her daughters -- with their collective shoulder shrug about an issue that affects all walks of life.
So where do we go from here, as domestic violence -- both in regard to women and now children after the Adrian Peterson charges of last weekend -- becomes the NFL's version of baseball's steroid discussion. No one supports domestice violence or steroid use, of course, but what is the next step and from where does the leadership come?
In his re-address of the situation after bungling the original Ray Rice ruling with a two-game suspension, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced a new policy of zero tolerance against domestic violence. It included a six-game suspension for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second offense.
Goodell's readjustment was as praised as the original decision was ridiculed. It also leaves the uncertainty of indiscretion since the NFL has now flipped again and indefinitely suspended Rice -- a move that Rice appealed on Monday. And no matter how reprehensible is the video of the Baltimore running back striking his then-fiancee, he has a legitimate complaint and has a case.
But the court of public opinion has flipped and aligned against the NFL -- something that seemed implausible this time a year ago as the NFL was on the cusp of having 15 of the top 20 rated TV shows of the fall season -- and that must be addressed honestly and openly. And quickly.
Storm fairly asked, "What does zero tolerance mean?" and "What does the NFL stand for?" as she recalled trying to answer questions from her daughters about the Rice video and the subsequent fallout.
The league had no response, and the media firestorm has put the NFL in awkward position. A game that has thrived recently on the high-flying offense of the modern-day highlights has now been put on the defensive by a series of off-the-field incidents.
Now, incredibly, it appears the teams are taking a stronger stand than the league.
Rice was released by the Ravens, and then he was suspended by the league indefinitely -- a move that seemed desperate and somewhat confusing since the league already had announced and later revised its plan for domestice assault.
The Carolina Panthers -- not the league or Goodell -- on Sunday deactivated Greg Hardy, who was found guilty by a judge on domestic assault on his girlfriend and has appealed the ruling.
The 49ers allowed Ray McDonald, who has been accused of domestic assault, to play in Sunday's loss to Chicago.
This comes after the weekend blockbuster that NFL superstar Adrian Peterson was indicted for child abuse. Peterson was deactivated by the Vikings last weekend.
The views on Peterson, who said he went too far when "whopping'" his 4-year-old with a switch, will range from social discussion to outrage to all points in between. It even allowed the normally lovable Chuck Barkley to sound off and sound like an over-the-top activist.
And while we do not accept society's views on how someone should punish their children -- I'm not going to tell you how to raise your child; do not tell me and the Mrs. how to raise ours -- but causing a 4-year-old to bleed like Peterson did passes the line between child discipline (which there is not enough of) and child abuse (which there is entirely too much of).
These certainly are difficult questions in difficult times for a league that is enjoying the fruits and the spoils of its successes and popularity. And with that popularity comes increased interest and scrutiny, so with these issues and problems and outrages there needs to be some direction.
Someone needs to take some leadership of these scenarios. Too bad the NFL doesn't have a commissioner ... oh wait.