What a week off the field for the NFL...

I think this rightly deserves its own thread. I was debating creating one over the Ray Rice mess. Now the indictment today against Adrian Peterson. Wow, just stunning.

For those who have been on the moon for the last month:



Then today:

Adrian Peterson Indicted In Child Injury Case, Arrest Warrant Issued: REPORTS




Both cases are horrific. I think the NFL bungled the Ray Rice one from day one, and has looked stupid and hypocritical every step of the way.

Now, I can't imagine what measures they will have to take against Peterson if what appears to have happened really happened.

 

So far Roger Goodell has stuck to the policy of 'let the legal system run its course on the issue before issuing discipline'. Not sure he can do that here. And with the outcry over how badly he botched the Rice situation I can't imagine anything other than a scorched earth response satisfying people.

 

@ralphie250 have you seen the pictures of the 4yr old?










This is what he looked like roughly a WEEK later:



He also had been beat on his scrotum.

I was spanked as a kid when I deserved it too. But never in my life did I have a mark the next day, let alone a week later. I don't think this falls under 'can't spank a kid'. This was a beating.

 

Whipping and spanking are two very different things in terms of child abuse. The expectation generally is that if you spank your child (wholly unnecessary, btw), there should not be a mark left, as @Borla mentioned. Spankings usually take place on the buttocks, which are chubby and cushioned. As we can see from the pictures provided above, the whipping was all over, broke skin, and left many marks. As a mandatory reporter, you'd bet I'd be on the phone to DHS first thing. In my school district's jurisdiction, there would probably be a call to local law enforcement due to the threat of imminent harm to the child from such a punishment.

I think the NFL has a lot to learn when it comes to discipline within its ranks, but I'd like to believe they're going the right direction. They're not a particular progressive organization, and disciplining these kinds of behaviors takes broad institutional change. There's much more at play here. Sure, we in society look at the footage from the Ray Rice case and think, well, of course he has to be punished! Well, would we feel the same way if there weren't any evidence, and it was just her word that it had happened? Ask yourself that question.

 

New accusations: Peterson injured another son while disciplining 4-year-old

Second Adrian Peterson case involves alleged head wound, scar | ProFootballTalk



Another incident, with a different son, by a different mother. This child was also 4yrs old and has scarring on his face from it.



In the meantime, the Vikings announced they are letting him rejoin the team and plan to have him play Sunday. I wonder if that is a tactic to force the NFL's hand, or at least push the onus on them to act. If the Vikings sit him, they still have to pay him ~$750k/week. If he gets suspended by the league they do not.

 

I'm just totally disgusted by the prospect that they would play him, and that the NFL is taking so long with this. The pictures are pretty clear, don't you think?

 

I'm usually against a lynch mob mentality until all the facts are heard. However, if you combine the pictures with the fact that he is publicly admitting he did it, I see no reason for the NFL to wait to act.

In the past under Goodell they have almost always waited until the court case was over before any action. But I think there is enough evidence to supersede that in this case.

I think, based on the precedent set with Ray Rice, plus the new domestic violence penalties (shouldn't children be protected at LEAST as much as domestic partners, if not more?), they should suspend him until the court case plays out. At that point, based on any other evidence, they can decide what further penalty might be merited.

 

And today the Vikings put him back out of commission. He's on the exempt list, which means no team activities at all.

Not sure why in the world they tried to bring him back (especially so soon) in the first place.

 

Seriously. That was poorly done on their part, especially considering the risk to their brand.