NFL toughens domestic violence stance; lifetime ban for second offense

The penalty was underwhelming. The angry public fallout was not.

A month after the NFL suspended Ravens running back Ray Rice a mere two games for knocking out his soon-to-be wife at an Atlantic City, N.J., hotel, the league admitted its error and significantly ramped up its penalties for domestic violence.

In a letter to team owners Thursday that was obtained by the Los Angeles Times, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that a first offense will draw a six-game penalty, and at least a year for a second.

“At times … despite our best efforts, we fall short of our goals,” Goodell wrote. “We clearly did so in response to a recent incident of domestic violence. We allowed our standards to fall below where they should be and lost an important opportunity to emphasize our strong stance on a critical issue and the effective programs we have in place.”

Goodell said that in the last few weeks he has reviewed all aspects of the personal conduct policy, which applies to all league personnel, a wide range of experts, team owners and representatives of the NFL Players Association.

Referring to the Rice case, Goodell said: “I take responsibility both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values. I didn’t get it right.”

Of the country’s four major professional sports leagues, the NFL now has the strictest mandatory punishment for first-time domestic violence offenders.

Goodell, who doesn’t name Rice specifically in the letter, said that punishment led the public to “question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families.” The public outcry only intensified this week when Josh Gordon, All-Pro receiver for the Browns, received a full-season suspension for testing positive for marijuana use. Gordon has tested positive multiple times in college and the NFL.

By comparison with the Gordon case, the Rice punishment looked even more insignificant.

The final decision on punishment guidelines was made unilaterally by the league. The personal conduct policy is not subject to collective bargaining.

“If we believe that players’ due process rights are infringed upon ... we will assert and defend our members’ rights,” the NFLPA said in a statement.

According to the NFL’s new rules, if someone is charged with domestic violence or sexual assault, there will be a mandatory evaluation and counseling or other specialized services, when professionally indicated. An initial domestic violence offense will draw a six-game ban without pay, with the caveat that a more severe penalty could be applied in the case of a prior incident before the player joined the league “or violence involving a weapon, choking, repeated striking, or when the act is committed against a pregnant woman or in the presence of a child.”

A second offense would trigger a lifetime ban, although a player could apply for reinstatement after a year.