The National Football League: Action versus Activism

28 Pages Posted: 30 Aug 2018 Last revised: 10 May 2019

See all articles by John T. Holden

John T. Holden

Oklahoma State University

Joanna Wall Tweedie

Florida State University

Date Written: August 21, 2018

Abstract

Following gossip website TMZ’s September 8, 2014, release of a video showing Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice striking his then fiancée unconscious in a New Jersey casino elevator, the NFL prominently declared “No More” to domestic violence. In a highly publicized Super Bowl commercial, the NFL announced the launch of a new corporate social responsibility program, No More, which suggested that the NFL would no longer tolerate within its ranks those who commit domestic violence. The No More program preceded a newer, stricter punishment system for players accused of committing domestic violence: a six-game suspension for first-time offenders, followed by a one-year expulsion for second-time offenders, who also would require reinstatement by the Commissioner to play again. Although the NFL has talked tough on domestic violence, this Article’s investigation and resulting study yield little support for the finding that the NFL has truly sought to turn over a new leaf. Instead, the NFL has created a system where players rarely receive a six-game suspension and teams carry the burden of punishing player misconduct. The purpose of this study is to compare the league’s response to players’ arrests for domestic violence against the league’s domestic violence policy and activism. As opposed to standing up and saying No More, the league has latched on to nonviolent crimes as a justification for punishment, has not adhered to its suspension guidelines, and has deferred to teams the responsibility for handling these incidences. Although the NFL has quite prominently engaged in activism, condemning the evil acts of those who commit domestic violence, it has taken few actions to eliminate domestic abusers from its player ranks.

Keywords: NFL, Domestic violence, CSR, No More, Employment law

JEL Classification: K2, K21, K23, L31, L5, L52, L83, I2, I28, I22, I24, C00, C5, L4, L44, L41, L88, J00

Suggested Citation

Holden, John and Wall Tweedie, Joanna, The National Football League: Action versus Activism (August 21, 2018). Oregon Law Review Vol. 97 (2019), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3236313

John Holden (Contact Author)

Oklahoma State University ( email )

464 Business Building
Stillwater, OK 74078-0555
United States

Joanna Wall Tweedie

Florida State University ( email )

Tallahasse, FL 32306
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
123
Abstract Views
1,202
Rank
412,003
PlumX Metrics