With several players charged with domestic violence, including a shocking video showing the abuse, many are questioning the league’s culture and policies. We’re looking into how widespread the problem is and what it might take to address what some are calling a systemic issue.
GUESTS:
- Kavitha Davidson – sports reporter for Bloomberg View
- Stuart Glassman – concussion specialist at Granite Physiatry and member of the N.H. Advisory Council on Sport-Related Concussion. He works with New Hampshire schools to test for and prevent concussions in athletics, has sons who play football at high school and college levels.
CALLOUTS:
- Steve Almond – writer and journalist. His most recent book is called “Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto.”
- Michael McCann – professor at UNH Law, director of UNH’s Sports and Entertainment Law Institute, and legal analyst and writer for Sports Illustrated.
LINKS:
- What the numbers show about N.F.L. player arrests: "But with those caveats aside, here’s what the data show about how pro football players are interacting with the law. The numbers show a league in which drunk-driving arrests are a continuing problem and domestic violence charges are surprisingly common; in which the teams that have the most players getting in legal trouble don’t always fit the impressions fans might have; and in which teams with high arrest rates tend to stay that way over time."
- Michael McCann on legal options for Roger Goodell, regarding Ray Rice: "Even with tonight’s developments, Rice would be hard-pressed to challenge the two-game suspension. Through its personal conduct policy, the league has wide discretion to punish players for conduct detrimental to the NFL. Regardless of who saw the elevator video and when, Rice was indicted by a grand jury for aggravated assault and was sentenced by a judge for his conduct."