I can't lie. This situation has taken away my excitement about football. I haven't watched an ounce of football this preseason, which is rare for me for anyone who knows my history here.
We're either supporting a "woman beater" come Week 7, or we're supporting a corrupt NFL that has lost all credibility when it comes to player discipline, among other things.
And along the way, we're treated to every gory detail about his alleged abuse or her alleged extortion plans to ruin his life.
Fun times.
Hopefully I get sucked back in, but this just isn't entertaining anymore.
It isn't. I hate the "stick to sports" narrative, because social issues should always be confronted and we should always be appreciative when people use platforms in an appropriate manner to improve the lives of others, as sports have always been able to bring people together -- but:
Roger Goodell has made the NFL about him and his disciplinary tour, not about football. It's not fun anymore.
If I were the NFL Commissioner, I would appropriately handle cases upon receiving all information from law enforcement. If, as in this case, the NFL "disagrees" with law enforcement, I wouldn't make it a crusade to center the public opinion and media on myself, but on the cause. Why are they suspending a player with questionable evidence? Why not hold a workshop for domestic violence victims, donate money to the alleged victim, offer to pay her trauma treatment bills if she needs counseling or therapy because of the ordeal, donate large sums of money to domestic violence clinics and prevention programs, etc. etc. etc.
I think that's my biggest problem with it - they're just performing lip service. Even if Zeke is a dirty woman abuser, suspending him for 6 games isn't doing ****. What about the real cause? The NFL is full of crap, and its showing in spades in this case.