Call the Domestic Abuse Police Hotline!

Rice, stirred and fried..

As the Ray Rice and Janey knock out blow pervades our national headlines, you might think that it is not necessary to weigh in:  when all the great might of the press is so focused.  As we have stated in the past, when sports becomes involved in societal issues – it crosses all borders and barriers.  Domestic Violence in all countries is rampant.  We could easily start with Honor Killings as an extreme of this concept, but then that might be considered just targeting one ethnic group or another.

Let’s begin with some current examples of Domestic Abuse:  Oscar Pistorius and the killing of his girlfriend in South Africa.  As one of South Africa’s most important Sports figures – Oscar is presently facing sentencing in October for Culpable Homicide.  What we might say in this country as Manslaughter.  Charlie Sheen our beloved Hollywood character….has a long history of Domestic Upheavels and Violence.  Thank goodness those events have slowed down over the last couple of years.  Then we have Mike Tyson and his history with Robyn Givens and others women.  Thank goodness he has a one man show where he can unleash some of his fire, passion and language and still be paid for doing so.  As a huge fan of Mel Gibson, it was tough to listen to his rants and recorded anger and the photos of his beaten girlfriend.

Then we have David Hasselhoff  (verbally abusing his daughter)- the great Knight Rider and Lifeguard Captain in Baywatch – so glad he has made a comeback of late.  Then we have the icon  O.J. Simpson who is still doing hard time for memorabilia transactions in Las Vegas then Florida.  O.J. seemed to find lots of trouble on the domestic front with Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman – along the way.  The great Robert Blake is another name that comes to mind and today we wish him well in all he does in the future.  The wonderful Alec Baldwin continues to exhibit a few anger management issues that he keeps trying to deal with as well.

Today, the focus is on the National Football League.  Ray Rice (girlfriend-wife), Adrian Peterson (son), Aaron Hernandez (murdered friends), Ray MacDonald (abused wife) and a list as long as your arm.  The heat is on Professional Athletes – especially Football Players.  The use of Performance Enhancing Drugs, Illegal Drugs, Proscribed Drugs, Drugs for Injuries, Drugs for Pain and Anxiety………and serious side effects of Concussion and Brain Trauma.  Just the everyday pressures of being cut, age, sagging performance, lost for the season due to injury, bad financial investments or advisors, bad relationships with family, friends, the old neighborhood as well as current and past relationships with ex-wives or girlfriends could set almost any one off the rails.

The issue of Domestic Abuse is huge no doubt.  We must seek answers that are lasting and make sense.  Watching the elevator and blows given and the body dragged unceremoniously half way out of the elevator of a Casino was shocking.  Why did this person not go immediately to jail?  The Perp was Ray Rice, the Super Star Running Back for the Baltimore Ravens.  The victim, just his girlfriend at the time.  But as many have said:  This is not about Ray Rice….this is about an issue much larger with long legs and giant feet.  The Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell has put his job in jeopardy trying to cover up the fact that he and other NFL Officials had seen the video prior to issuing a 2 game suspension to Rice.  When the Video was release by TMZ all the bets were off and Rice was immediately Suspended by the NFL into the future and the Baltimore Ravens management have cancelled his contract.  There is every good chance that Ray Rice will never play another down in the NFL.  There is a 50-50 chance that Roger Goodell will be forced to resign.  Those that would argue the issue only need to look to the Penn State, Jerry Sandusky – Joe Paterno, the President of the University and the Athletic Director and ……and …..and……..to be not amazed at what can happen when community and the public are outraged by events.

The Congress needs to take a hand in Professional and so-called Amateur Sports in this country.  These are roll models that affect the actions of our youth.  If it is OK for Ray Rice to knock his girlfriend out unceremoniously.  Then it must have been right to have a college lacrosse player beat his girlfriend to death.  He is presently serving 23 years in state prison.  What would have happened had Ray Rice killed Janey that night in the elevator?  One blow can kill, as we all know.  She could have hit her head when she fell.  Janey could have died from brain inflammation as Natasha Richardson did…..from a simple fall on the ski slope.

The time has come for society at large to get a grip on Domestic Violence from the top down.  This is not a bottom up issue.  We can have all the meetings in the world in small groups around the country and not solve this issue.  Those meetings of course could be helpful for awareness, but until Institutions stand up to be counted – nothing is going to change.  We need a Zero Tolerance Domestic Abuses Policy in this country.  Abuse your wife, children or any live in family members and you should lose your job.  In professional sports – a one year suspension for the first offense.  For any further events – a lifetime ban.  Playing Professional Sports is a Privilege not an Entitlement.  There are plenty of other people waiting to take that spot – which makes great money and allows the ego to fly like the wind.  Having your name in lights has to have its responsibility built in to the process.  You break the law, you beat your spouse, your child or any family member and – you lose your job no matter how wonderful you run around right end or through blockers to the end zone.

There should be established a Domestic Abuse Police Hotline.  They have hotlines for Suicide, Poison Centers, Child Molesters and Drug Overdosing…..then we need one for Domestic Abuse and we need it now.  Of course, keeping 911 as the first responder is academic, however – after the abuser has left, after the furniture has been broken, after the paramedics have come, after the police have made their report and  after the family members have been reunited – then is the time when we will need to call the Domestic Abuse Police Hotline and have the various law enforcement agencies engaged, investigating and pursuing corrective action against the perpetrators.  It only makes sense that we do this and that we should have been done so years ago.  A National Data Base of Domestic Abusers must be established.  Should Domestic Abusers be able to keep firearms after they are arrested, tried and convited?  There in lies a good start for a debate of these issues.