The NFL Says that they Will Explore the Allegations on Antonio Brown “ Vigorously and Expeditiously.” But, can We Really Trust Them?
By: Brian Thevenot
(HBO, quoted in LAtimes)
While the HBO docu-series “Hard Knocks” ended a few weeks ago, the Antonio Brown saga just finished...for now. The former Patriots wide receiver was accused of sexual assault and was released on Friday, September 20th. The NFL is still going full steam ahead with their investigation of the allegations. However, with the NFL’s bad track record, can we really trust them to get it right?
(CBS sports) Roger Goodell speaking
Over the course of the Roger Goodell administration, (the NFL commissioner who ultimately makes decisions on ALL suspension cases) there have been many controversial rulings. In 2014, Ray Rice was originally suspended for just two games after he was accused and was guilty of abusing his wife . Just this past season, when the former Kansas City Chiefs running back, Kareem Hunt, was all accused of domestic violence, he was initially not disciplined at all, because they believed his word that he didn't hurt anybody without truly doing an investigation. Then a few short weeks later, TMZ got a hold of a video of Mr.Hunt kicking a defenseless women in a hotel and it went viral. The NFL said that they tried to get the video but they ultimately failed. This leaves us wondering how was TMZ able to get the video from the hotel but not an organization like the NFL who has billions of dollars and many resources at their disposal?
From "Indiamart.com"
Incidents like these are causing some people to question Roger Goodell’s ability to get the Antonio Brown case right. It is even leaving some people wondering how qualified is the Commissioner to even make decisions on assault cases? Well, from a judiciary stance, not at all. Most judges in the United States start their careers off as lawyers. Lawyers must hold Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees, which require completing three years of legal education at a law school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). However, Roger Goodell has a degree in Economics. American judges have to go through all of this schooling and education and they still make controversial rulings on sexual assault cases. So much that judges in New Jersey may have to go to special classes just to improve on this specific topic. Even some of Goodell’s rulings for football related cases, such as his no tolerance stance on marijuana, have been controversial. So, if people can't even trust Goodell to make the right decisions with on the field cases, and he doesn’t have the correct education or training, how can he be trusted to make the right decisions on such sensitive cases like sexual assault?