How the NFL zigged when it should have zagged with the Elliott case

[Reality]

But think about that for a second:

If you are not predisposed to hit a woman, I honestly don't see how viewing your favorite stars taking part in that extra curricular activity is of a sudden going to make you take it up as a hobby. You either can hit a woman or you cannot. I for one can't imagine ever laying hands on a woman, so despite the fact that I love football and I love what these players do on the field of play, there is no way I'm going to start hitting my wife because I'm a fan of Zeke's.

You are looking at it as an older, rational person, who was likely raised long before the internet existed. Now, videos of men fighting men, men fighting women, women fighting men and women fighting women go viral all too often and are shared quite frequently throughout the internet. I am not saying that young people watch those videos and think, "So it is okay to hit people!" I am saying that seeing those regularly, especially when it involves people they admire, lowers their resistance against doing it, so in the heat of the moment, they are now a little more likely to do it because there is a lot more violence everywhere now, from the internet, to videos, to TV shows, movies, etc.

 

[diefree666]

I don't know all of the facts, but I do know that the NFL did not make their decision based on one witness. Elliott has had a series of problems in regard to abusing women. He has been enabled since high school. I'm from Ohio & I know that Urban Meyer allowed Elliott to do things few could get away with. Even though no charges were filed in the abuse case, the investigating attorney stated, “For the Ezekiel Elliott matter, I personally believe that there were a series of interactions between Mr. Elliott and (his accuser) where violence occurred. However, given the totality of the circumstances, I could not firmly conclude exactly what happened." This is from someone who deals with DV on a daily basis. Along with the ex-girlfriend who accused him of DV, there is video of him pulling a woman's shirt down & exposing her breasts at a St. Patrick's parade in 2016. How many times has he done that kind of thing when there WASN'T a camera around? Plus, there's the fact that he was in a bar fight right before training camp. A close friend who was with him was arrested for carrying a gun into the bar. Now, he's paying the piper. He's not better than anyone else. Hopefully, he has learned to keep his hands off of women & will do so in the future. I wonder if you would feel the way you do if he played for the Giants & he beat or exposed your sister.

to be very blunt you are full of crap. This is all about THIS case and the huge monstrous holes in it.
You feel a need to pontificate and act like you know something other than what has been reported, go right ahead. I need a good laugh today.

 

[Brickman2]

I agree 100% Reality. Goodell wiped before he went to the bathroom and now he has crap all over his hands.

 

[vaturkey]

I don't know all of the facts, but I do know that the NFL did not make their decision based on one incident. Elliott has had a series of problems in regard to abusing women. He has been enabled since high school. I'm from Ohio & I know that Urban Meyer allowed Elliott to do things few could get away with. Even though no charges were filed in the physical abuse case, the investigating attorney stated, “For the Ezekiel Elliott matter, I personally believe that there were a series of interactions between Mr. Elliott and (his accuser) where violence occurred. However, given the totality of the circumstances, I could not firmly conclude exactly what happened." This is from someone who deals with DV on a daily basis. Along with the ex-girlfriend who accused him of DV, there is video of him pulling a woman's shirt down & exposing her breasts at a St. Patrick's parade in 2016. Kids were at that parade. How many times has he done that kind of thing when there WASN'T a camera around? Plus, there's the fact that he was in a bar fight right before training camp. A close friend who was with him was arrested for carrying a gun into the bar. Now, he's paying the piper. Elliott needs to learn that he's not better than anyone else. Hopefully, he has learned to handle women with care, & not do it in public. I wonder if you would feel the same way if he played for the Giants & he beat or exposed your sister.

"I'm from Ohio & I know that Urban Meyer allowed Elliott to do things few could get away with." Need to tell us more on that. When you say you know is that based on first hand information or hearsay information or do you have copies of news stories you can provide as proof. I'd like to see that facts as I'm sure others would as well.

 

[speedkilz88]

"I'm from Ohio & I know that Urban Meyer allowed Elliott to do things few could get away with." Need to tell us more on that. When you say you know is that based on first hand information or hearsay information or do you have copies of news stories you can provide as proof. I'd like to see that facts as I'm sure others would as well.

He's full of crap. Even mentions the St Patty's parade which was a Mardi Gras type atmosphere where beads were being thrown and tops pulled up. Not a kid environment unless you are a terrible parent.

 

[Stash]

They have essentially made DV worse. Any woman out there that is actually going through something with a player will be hesitant to come forward. In addition, players should be on alert for any woman out there with nefarious intentions. If I were in their shoes I would implement the Erik Williams methods of protection, better safe than sorry.

There's a broken system in place when gold diggers can make up lies in a blatant money grab with no ramifications or consequences for lying.

That's where harm comes for true victims. When "the girl who cried wolf" pays no penalty, there's nothing to stop the next liar from coming forward, ruining the credibility of the true victims of domestic violence in the pursuit of their own selfish interests.

 

[adbutcher]

There's a broken system in place when gold diggers can make up lies in a blatant money grab with no ramifications or consequences for lying.

That's where harm comes for true victims. When "the girl who cried wolf" pays no penalty, there's nothing to stop the next liar from coming forward, ruining the credibility of the true victims of domestic violence in the pursuit of their own selfish interests.

I cosign this 100%

 

[jday]

You are looking at it as an older, rational person, who was likely raised long before the internet existed. Now, videos of men fighting men, men fighting women, women fighting men and women fighting women go viral all too often and are shared quite frequently throughout the internet. I am not saying that young people watch those videos and think, "So it is okay to hit people!" I am saying that seeing those regularly, especially when it involves people they admire, lowers their resistance against doing it, so in the heat of the moment, they are now a little more likely to do it because there is a lot more violence everywhere now, from the internet, to videos, to TV shows, movies, etc.

The NFL has made a myriad of mistakes since DV became the hot-button issue it is today, but one thing remains certain regardless of the NFL's stance: if you get caught on camera as a man hitting another woman and said video goes viral, your life is over...for a few months anyway until the public at large moves on to the next big thing. I'm sorry...I just can't wrap my head around this idea that kids would attempt to emulate something such as that because their favorite player did it. As I said before, you are either predisposed to hit a woman or you are not.
For me, the NFL's stance has little to do with concern about the issue itself, and everything to do with how it makes the NFL look.

 

[casmith07]

The NFL has made a myriad of mistakes since DV became the hot-button issue it is today, but one thing remains certain regardless of the NFL's stance: if you get caught on camera as a man hitting another woman and said video goes viral, your life is over...for a few months anyway until the public at large moves on to the next big thing. I'm sorry...I just can't wrap my head around this idea that kids would attempt to emulate something such as that because their favorite player did it. As I said before, you are either predisposed to hit a woman or you are not.
For me, the NFL's stance has little to do with concern about the issue itself, and everything to do with how it makes the NFL look.

People aren't going to decide to hit women based on NFL players, I agree.

What it does signal, however, is that certain actions don't have real consequences. Whether those actions are DV-related or not is immaterial.

 

[jday]

People aren't going to decide to hit women based on NFL players, I agree.

What it does signal, however, is that certain actions don't have real consequences. Whether those actions are DV-related or not is immaterial.

I think all actions have consequences; sometimes it is direct and sometimes it is indirect. The problem is, we the public, want to actually see the justice, when many times the best justice happens when no one is watching.

 

[adbutcher]

to be very blunt you are full of crap. This is all about THIS case and the huge monstrous holes in it.
You feel a need to pontificate and act like you know something other than what has been reported, go right ahead. I need a good laugh today.

Glad someone said it....

 

[Philmonroe]

I'm not saying it's the cause of domestic violence, but rather encourages it or at least makes it seem a common part of celebrity life, which many young people try to emulate.

Nah. Folks might try to steal clothing ideals and maybe some party drugs for some but DV? Hell no you giving out too much power now. You sound like someone's parents talking crazy. I and most of us have watched/listened to violent movies, music, video games, youtube videos, etc and haven't took those things and translated them to real life. It might be some as with anything but to say or even insinuate that's the norm is wild to me.

 

[Philmonroe]

One would think by now they'd have more structured in-house guidelines/policy used to determine whether or not DV cases is worth pursuit. For example....if law enforcement/court system fail to pursue a criminal complaint against a player coz the victim is not credible or has questionable character AND she DID NOT reach some financial settlement with the player ( as the case with Hardy ), then move on IMO. If you've ever worked in a government office, an employee getting a case on a high profile or celebrity is a career case that a lot of times is milked into a promotion. Others words, you won't find district Atty out there who would like nothing more than to take down an NFL start player........but there small thing called in integrity. This is why went they decide NOT to pursue a high profile case.....you can believe the case likely has some serious problems.

With Hardy like this case I need proof. People always say she got paid but where is the actual proof?

 

[xwalker]

The real reason the NFL is in this situation is because they screwed up the Ray Rice case, and then they let their Giants' fan investigator take it easy on a known and admitted woman beater in Josh Brown. While they were already under attack by the media for long-term player health and other issues, the NFL made it much worse by giving the media along with social justice groups and movements an even larger issue to focus on.

The NFL made themselves appear uncaring and weak on domestic violence and with a heavy fan base of men, especially young men, the media and social justice movements saw this as promotion and support of violence against women, and rightfully so. Young people especially, both male and female, tend to emulate celebrities and when they see athletes beat women and get away with it, it increases the chances they will emulate those actions themselves and that includes women accepting that abuse is common in relationships.

So the NFL likely viewed Elliott as their perfect solution, their perfect chance to show the world they take domestic violence very seriously and will risk damaging their own product all in the name of doing what's right. Given how popular Elliott is, especially after last season, and that he plays for the most liked and hated NFL team in the Dallas Cowboys, they had to be drooling at this opportunity, this amazing opportunity to fix it all in one swing.

They had the perfect setup. They could suspend one of their most popular players from their most popular team for a few games which would give them several weeks of positive press on domestic violence. Then Elliott would return and hopefully have a great season thereby regaining his popularity and making the NFL more money. It was a potential win-win scenario too hard to pass up. So, they zigged.

What they did not count on is just how bad the details were going to be in this case. They didn't expect the accuser's credibility to be so publicly questioned, doubted and debated, especially by the media. They counted on Elliott being guilty enough of something that he would not want to fight this publicly to prevent embarrassing or damaging details getting out, which is usually common in cases like this. At every turn, it likely became more and more clear to the NFL that they went all in on a horrible bet. By the time they fully realized it, they were far past the point of no return and there was no going back without looking even worse on domestic violence than they did before this case.

The NFL only has one choice now. They have to fight this as hard as possible. They probably don't even care if they lose now, because every step they take and every legal filing they make, it makes them look like they are trying their best to fight against domestic violence, at least in their own minds. From the many comments found on article after article though, including comments by a lot of non-Dallas Cowboys fans, there is a widespread view that the NFL is looking more and more foolish and ignorant every single day, while greatly losing the trust and respect of more NFL fans.

In the end, no one will win here. The NFL will have damaged their product for nothing regardless of the outcome. Even if Elliott wins, there will be a lingering suspicion over him from now on likely followed by the tag line, "who was once accused of domestic violence." The NFLPA will at best have kept the status quo with one commissioner to rule them all (aka: dictator), and at worst will have put all of their members at risk due to a huge mistake in yielding so much power to one person on the other side in the previous CBA negotiations. The Dallas Cowboys will reinvigorate their reputation of having a team filled with criminals, and domestic violence awareness will have gained nothing and possibly lost some ground.

All of this could have been avoided, but the NFL zigged, when they should have zagged.

I agree 100%.

The NFL is driven by their own "politics" instead of by the desire to do the right thing.

 

[Philmonroe]

But think about that for a second:

If you are not predisposed to hit a woman, I honestly don't see how viewing your favorite stars taking part in that extra curricular activity is of a sudden going to make you take it up as a hobby. You either can hit a woman or you cannot. I for one can't imagine ever laying hands on a woman, so despite the fact that I love football and I love what these players do on the field of play, there is no way I'm going to start hitting my wife because I'm a fan of Zeke's.

What the NFL is doing in the case of Zeke is purely political. They are trying to manufacture the appearance of caring about DV, when in fact all they really care about is how DV effects their bottom line: money.

I agree outside of your predisposed to not hit women. That's learned behavior. I can't say I won't ever hit a woman but chances are slim being as though I'm not in those types of situations often. That doesn't mean much coming from me though because I wouldn't hit most people period because I'm stronger and better at fighting than them regardless of gender. That's how I look at it not based on gender but just the old with great power there is great responsibility logic lol. Everything else I agree with you on regarding your post.

 

[xwalker]

 

[jday]

I agree outside of your predisposed to not hit women. That's learned behavior. I can't say I won't ever hit a woman but chances are slim being as though I'm not in those types of situations often. That doesn't mean much coming from me though because I wouldn't hit most people period because I'm stronger and better at fighting than them regardless of gender. That's how I look at it not based on gender but just the old with great power there is great responsibility logic lol. Everything else I agree with you on regarding your post.

I think you and I agree more than you know. When I said "predisposed," I meant that at some point you likely experienced it as a child first hand. But I also think there is something to the "sins of our father" phenomenon.

Example: A child is taken from an abusive father prior to the child experiencing the abuse first hand. That child, despite never experiencing it, may still to a certain extent be predisposed to that type of behavior simply because there is something in his genes that he carried from his father. The same principle applies to many thing's in life; another common example is alcoholism. That's something I have experienced first hand. I've seen people go from hating it because of what it did to their family to loving it and not being able to put it down.

 

[Bleedblue1111]

I don't know all of the facts, but I do know that the NFL did not make their decision based on one incident. Elliott has had a series of problems in regard to abusing women. He has been enabled since high school. I'm from Ohio & I know that Urban Meyer allowed Elliott to do things few could get away with. Even though no charges were filed in the physical abuse case, the investigating attorney stated, “For the Ezekiel Elliott matter, I personally believe that there were a series of interactions between Mr. Elliott and (his accuser) where violence occurred. However, given the totality of the circumstances, I could not firmly conclude exactly what happened." This is from someone who deals with DV on a daily basis. Along with the ex-girlfriend who accused him of DV, there is video of him pulling a woman's shirt down & exposing her breasts at a St. Patrick's parade in 2016. Kids were at that parade. How many times has he done that kind of thing when there WASN'T a camera around? Plus, there's the fact that he was in a bar fight right before training camp. A close friend who was with him was arrested for carrying a gun into the bar. Now, he's paying the piper. Elliott needs to learn that he's not better than anyone else. Hopefully, he has learned to handle women with care, & not do it in public. I wonder if you would feel the same way if he played for the Giants & he beat or exposed your sister.

Nothing you said proves that Elliott is guilty of DV. In light of ALL the evidence that's out there for ALL to see in regard to this allegation, you come in here and try to insult everyone's intelligence by making erroneous claims against Elliott. Sir, where are the morals in that?

 

[Oh_Canada]

How Lisa Friel has a job still is beyond me.

 

[Philmonroe]

I think you and I agree more than you know. When I said "predisposed," I meant that at some point you likely experienced it as a child first hand. But I also think there is something to the "sins of our father" phenomenon.

Example: A child is taken from an abusive father prior to the child experiencing the abuse first hand. That child, despite never experiencing it, may still to a certain extent be predisposed to that type of behavior simply because there is something in his genes that he carried from his father. The same principle applies to many thing's in life; another common example is alcoholism. That's something I have experienced first hand. I've seen people go from hating it because of what it did to their family to loving it and not being able to put it down.

It might be the genes or it more likely imo to be that's something that's more acceptable to do in the environment you're in. What do you think about that?