At this point, the names Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald should be familiar to everyone in the United States, whether or not they are football fans. The acts of domestic violence and child abuse committed by these players and the NFL’s response to them has rocked the sport to its core, and shaken the moral collective conscience of the nation. Does the violence of the sport create a culture of violence in the League, or are both the reflection of the violence in our society?
Unfortunately, statistics point to society becoming more violent and less civil. In 1980, the ratio of violent crime to national population was 16 percent; by 2012, that ratio was 39 percent. (The statistic only reflects reported crimes.) The ratio increased 121 percent over a 52 year period. The statistics regarding domestic violence–assault–are equally sobering. One-third of all women in the U.S. have been slapped, pushed or shoved by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Your Denver personal injury attorney has previously blogged about the nationwide problem of sexual assault on college campuses. Over 60 colleges across the country are under investigation for possible violations of Title IX and federal Civil Rights with respect to the mishandling of sexual assault reports, investigations and adjudications.
But the increase in violence is not just in violence against women. Adrian Peterson, the NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings, was caught hitting his four year old son with a “switch” so hard that the child sustained bruises over a large portion of his body and bled. Peterson insisted that actions that would constitute assault on an adult or another person’s child were “discipline” when done to his own child. The idea that parents can perpetrate violence on their children without governmental or police interference because it is a “family matter,” is disturbingly similar to the argument that domestic violence is a matter between the couple for them to resolve.
Bullying is another form of violence that has increased. Your Denver personal injury attorney has also previously blogged about the injuries that this type of violence leads to, especially when perpetrated over the Internet and other forms of social media. While bullying is not new, the reach and impact the Internet allows it to have is. Posting humiliating pictures of someone, ruining someone’s personal and/or professional reputation, and threatening or isolating someone are all forms of bullying. One of the most insidious forms of violence, bullying claims its victims by assault, abuse, and even murder and suicide.
How the NFL handles cases of assault or violence should have no bearing on how you handle it. If you or a loved one has been the victim of any type of assault, harassment, or violence, consult Jordan Levine of Levine Law to learn about your potential legal rights and remedies.
