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New NFL Domestic Violence Initiatives


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Goodell advises teams of domestic violence initiatives

Posted by Mike Florio on September 19, 2014, 10:03 AM EDT

While absent from public view for 10 days, Commissioner Roger Goodell and his administration have been working on specific efforts to address the problems of domestic violence and sexual assault beyond the boundaries of the NFL.

In a memo sent Thursday night to all teams, a copy of which PFT has obtained, Goodell outlined the league’s plans to support organizations aimed at preventing domestic violence and sexual assault and helping those impacted by it.

“In my letter of August 28, I said we would ensure that everyone in the NFL has knowledge of and access to resources — both through and independent of the clubs — relating to issues of domestic violence and sexual assault,” Goodell wrote. “I also said that we recognize that these issues affect our entire society, and that we would work to make a genuine and positive difference in a broader context. Today, I write to update you on some significant steps we are taking as part of our long-term commitment to help people affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.

“It was brought to our attention that recent events caused The National Domestic Violence Hotline to receive 84 percent more calls during the week of September 8-15. According to the organization, more than 50 percent of those calls went unanswered due to lack of staff. That must not continue.

“To help address this and other critical and immediate needs, we are entering into long-term partnerships to provide financial, operational and promotional support to two of the leading domestic violence and sexual assault resources: The National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). These commitments will enable both The Hotline and NSVRC to help more people affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.”

As a result of the NFL’s support, The Hotline will add 25 full-time advocates in the coming weeks, which will allow for an additional 750 calls per day to be answered. The league’s support of the NSVRC will bolster state and local sexual assault hotlines.

“The NFL’s support also will enable Loveisrespect to service 24-hour-a-day text chats with young adults affected by dating abuse,” Goodell wrote. “Loveisrespect, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Break the Cycle, is a resource to engage, educate and empower youth and young adults to prevent and end abusive relationships.”

Goodell also explained that, within the next 30 days, all league and team personnel will participate in educational sessions on domestic violence and sexual assault.

“These initial sessions will begin to provide the men and women of the NFL with information and tools to understand and recognize domestic violence and sexual assault,” Goodell wrote. “We will work with the NFL Players Association to develop and present this training in the most effective way.”

The league also will dedicate “significant resources” to raising awareness on the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“These are by no means final steps,” Goodell wrote. “We will continue to work with experts to expand and develop long-term programs that raise awareness, educate, and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault both within the NFL and in our society in general.”

It’s a good start, and it goes a long way toward Goodell’s plan to convert recent events into positive change, for the NFL and beyond.

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Goodell just needs to come out and say that this is an issue that the league has mishandled for decades, including way into his tenure. His inability to show any sincerity or honesty is one of the biggest problems here and the largest cause of all the confusion that has come with these calls for retroactive action. There is absolutely no way to discipline for the player incidents beyond the past year or so, it's not doable, because there is a very realistic slippery slope with that one. But the thing is, he won't just ******* say it. If he'd just put his cards on the table and lay out a strong plan for action going forward, people would lay off.

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So Goodell call a presser on Friday late afternoon so as to make the Friday late afternoon news cycle. This is what politicians normally do. Way to go.

Ordinarily I'd agree with the pessimism, but in the case of the NFL, it's different. This presser isn't designed to be lost in the weekend news, it's designed to be fresh for all the talking heads to talk about on Sunday. They want this story to get way out in front of the next guy arrested for hitting someone he shouldn't be.

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Ordinarily I'd agree with the pessimism, but in the case of the NFL, it's different. This presser isn't designed to be lost in the weekend news, it's designed to be fresh for all the talking heads to talk about on Sunday. They want this story to get way out in front of the next guy arrested for hitting someone he shouldn't be.

 

Its the coming out of Goodell from his bunker.  He sure does want the talking point from this presser to be out there on the Sunday pre-game shows but its only the approved talking points. If something goes wrong in the presser it will be glossed over and may not really see the light because of the friendly Friday late afternoon news cycle.

 

This could have been easily done yesterday afternoon as well.

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Its the coming out of Goodell from his bunker.  He sure does want the talking point from this presser to be out there on the Sunday pre-game shows but its only the approved talking points. If something goes wrong in the presser it will be glossed over and may not really see the light because of the friendly Friday late afternoon news cycle.

 

This could have been easily done yesterday afternoon as well.

I'm not defending the guy. I don't like him, and I'd love for him to be fired. But I am giving credit where credit's due. He's clearly a smart guy, and he's spent his time out of the public eye doing something smart here. Politicians do the info dump on Friday afternoon so it gets lost over the weekend. The NFL commissioner does it then so it's the lead on every pre-game show on Sunday, and talked about in every telecast. The timing here is designed to get the news out, not bury it.

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I'm not defending the guy. I don't like him, and I'd love for him to be fired. But I am giving credit where credit's due. He's clearly a smart guy, and he's spent his time out of the public eye doing something smart here. Politicians do the info dump on Friday afternoon so it gets lost over the weekend. The NFL commissioner does it then so it's the lead on every pre-game show on Sunday, and talked about in every telecast. The timing here is designed to get the news out, not bury it.

 

If that's the case and the commish's heart is overflowing with noble then this could have been done on Thursday afternoon. After all the NFL week begins Thursday nights.

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If that's the case and the commish's heart is overflowing with noble then this could have been done on Thursday afternoon. After all the NFL week begins Thursday nights.

Yeah, let's not being putting any words in my mouth here. Lol.

Not everyone watches Thursday Night Football. Everyone watches on Sunday. I'm not saying he's being noble or sincere, but he is making the smart play. He's certainly not doing the Friday news dump you'd like to accuse him of, he's doing the exact opposite.

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Yeah, let's not being putting any words in my mouth here. Lol.

Not everyone watches Thursday Night Football. Everyone watches on Sunday. I'm not saying he's being noble or sincere, but he is making the smart play. He's certainly not doing the Friday news dump you'd like to accuse him of, he's doing the exact opposite.

 

I am not saying they do not want to set the table of talking points for Sunday's pre-game shows. Infact the NFL sure is doing just that. You are right about that.

 

But doing it Friday afternoon instead of say Thursday afternoon gives them the luxury of less scrutiny and all the advantages that come with that. That's all.

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That took long enough. Were the NFL' PR people on vacation? Was the war room locked and no one could find the key? And LOL at the article referring to Goodell's 'administration'. But if something good comes of this for real and the NFL really uses some of their billions to help people, I can get behind this. 

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Goodell just had his presser, which allowed the idiot masses to whine about not getting any answers to questions. What questions those idiot masses want answered, no one really knows, but they're mad. Now they can go back to RTing Soulja Boy lyrics.

 

double

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Goodell just had his presser, which allowed the idiot masses to whine about not getting any answers to questions. What questions those idiot masses want answered, no one really knows, but they're mad. Now they can go back to RTing Soulja Boy lyrics.

 

It's unbelievable, but I think the media is just as disconnected if not more from the fans than the league is. Goodell and the mongos asking the questions deserve each other.

 

I'll be at the bar at 1pm Sunday watching football.

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Goodell just had his presser, which allowed the idiot masses to whine about not getting any answers to questions. What questions those idiot masses want answered, no one really knows, but they're mad. Now they can go back to RTing Soulja Boy lyrics.

too few questions asking for specifics (not that Goodell would have answered, but at least ask), too many "what message does it send..." questions.

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It's unbelievable, but I think the media is just as disconnected if not more from the fans than the league is. Goodell and the mongos asking the questions deserve each other.

I'll be at the bar at 1pm Sunday watching football.

Ain't nobody missing a snap except Ray Rice. Goodell could have answered every question by doing the Johnny Football Money Fingers.

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Which specifics?

which experts, which policies, how are you changing things, have you spoken to anyone yet, etc...things that need a firm answer.

the only firm answer he gave was he hoped to have everything in place by the super bowl.

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Ain't nobody missing a snap except Ray Rice. Goodell could have answered every question by doing the Johnny Football Money Fingers.

 

I was hoping maybe someone would ask about the sh*tty officiating, the awful Thursday night games or expanding the playoffs. Nope, instead we have people asking and whining about a video tape regarding a guy who's already indefinitely suspended. 

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which experts, which policies, how are you changing things, have you spoken to anyone yet, etc...things that need a firm answer.

the only firm answer he gave was he hoped to have everything in place by the super bowl.

 

Who needs a firm answer? The fans dont care about this type of stuff. Goodell knows that. People are concerned with the games on Sunday and if the guys with a Q next to their names will be playing Sunday for their fantasy team.

 

League discipline matters is the furthest thing on the mind from most fans who work all week.

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Who needs a firm answer? The fans dont care about this type of stuff. Goodell knows that. People are concerned with the games on Sunday and if the guys with a Q next to their names will be playing Sunday for their fantasy team.

League discipline matters is the furthest thing on the mind from most fans who work all week.

just because you don't care as a fan doesn't mean nobody does. I care. one of their guys could beat, rape, and murder me and they don't give a sh*t. I'd like to know they were at least interested in their employees not being glorified every Sunday as heroes in spite of the fact they they beat a 4 year old bloody on Friday.

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which experts, which policies, how are you changing things, have you spoken to anyone yet, etc...things that need a firm answer.

the only firm answer he gave was he hoped to have everything in place by the super bowl.

Those "reporters" know they have 20 minutes to get a sound bite to hand their editor/producer tonight. No one is going to ask him to list the names of people no one has heard of who are going to be hired to do a job of no impact. Similarly, Goodell could stand there and list 100 different "programs" that they intend to start, but that's boring. Nobody ever wants answers. Everybody wants spectacle. Answers are boring and unsaleable. Zingers, however, are platinum-infused gold.

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just because you don't care as a fan doesn't mean nobody does. I care. one of their guys could beat, rape, and murder me and they don't give a sh*t. I'd like to know they were at least interested in their employees not being glorified every Sunday as heroes in spite of the fact they they beat a 4 year old bloody on Friday.

 

If that's how you look at the league then it sounds like it isn't for you. Why do you watch the NFL if you're so worried about how the players act in their personal lives?

 

Honestly, get a grip there Hannah Storm.

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just because you don't care as a fan doesn't mean nobody does. I care. one of their guys could beat, rape, and murder me and they don't give a sh*t. I'd like to know they were at least interested in their employees not being glorified every Sunday as heroes in spite of the fact they they beat a 4 year old bloody on Friday.

Here's my issue with this--who is glorifying Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson? Is that what we believe Goodell is doing here?

As far as you getting attacked by an NFL player (God forbid, of course), I'd venture to guess the chances of that happening are significantly less than you getting attacked (God forbid) by someone who works at WalMart, or the post office, or Dunkin Donuts, etc. The difference there is that ESPN can't get a rise out of you by uncovering how many people in those walks of life get arrested. It's profiteering, plain and simple, and it's got less than zero to do with helping victims of DV now or in the future.

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If that's how you look at the league then it sounds like it isn't for you. Why do you watch the NFL if you're so worried about how the players act in their personal lives?

Honestly, get a grip there Hannah Storm.

I like the game. I don't care how they act in their personal lives. If they want to smoke weed and cheat on their wives, feel free. But as a functional member of society I also recognize things are more important than football and have an interest in not letting huge guys assault women and children who are much smaller than they are. one of those women could be me.

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Here's my issue with this--who is glorifying Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson? Is that what we believe Goodell is doing here?

As far as you getting attacked by an NFL player (God forbid, of course), I'd venture to guess the chances of that happening are significantly less than you getting attacked (God forbid) by someone who works at WalMart, or the post office, or Dunkin Donuts, etc. The difference there is that ESPN can't get a rise out of you by uncovering how many people in those walks of life get arrested. It's profiteering, plain and simple, and it's got less than zero to do with helping victims of DV now or in the future.

 

The media takes advantage of things like this to fill time, who gives a sh*t? If you don't think cases like this directly correlate to sh*t like Steubenville you are out of your ******* mind. Trivializing it as nothing more than a media spectacle or witch-hunt is complete nonsense. This is an actual problem with some real advocates and real victims, and the only way that things get fixed regarding major issues like this is in the midst of some sort of crisis. Kudos to those groups for recognizing the opportunity to finally draw some attention to the matter. So Disney makes a few bucks off of coverage, right or wrong that is literally no different than any other policy shift, and it's pretty much how change works.

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Well I will say if we do not care what these guys do in their personal lives as long as they can play football so I can watch it- I do not know what kind of society that is. Screwed up and that is all I have to say

 

It's bizarre. The comments I've seen all over about this, it's just bizarre. Some dudes (and it's always a dude) talk about child or spousal abuse as if its equivalent to getting caught cheating on a history exam or something.

 

Getting paid millions of dollars to play a game is not a right or entitlement. And neither offense is worthy of a firing squad or anything, but any dude who beats his wife or whips his kid's beanbag with a tree branch can go rot doing something else.  You don't get to pull that sh*t and think everyone is just going to be cool with you getting paid a fortune to run with a ball.

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Here's my issue with this--who is glorifying Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson? Is that what we believe Goodell is doing here?

As far as you getting attacked by an NFL player (God forbid, of course), I'd venture to guess the chances of that happening are significantly less than you getting attacked (God forbid) by someone who works at WalMart, or the post office, or Dunkin Donuts, etc. The difference there is that ESPN can't get a rise out of you by uncovering how many people in those walks of life get arrested. It's profiteering, plain and simple, and it's got less than zero to do with helping victims of DV now or in the future.

well, they could get a rise out of me. but there are a lot of fans out there who defend these guys. I think there are a lot of angry losers out who think hitting a woman is ok.

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Well I will say if we do not care what these guys do in their personal lives as long as they can play football so I can watch it- I do not know what kind of society that is. Screwed up and that is all I have to say

 

this is why we have the legal system. Fans shouldnt be asked to judge off the field behavior and take a stand on something that's supposed to be fun. People have too much of their own sh*t to worry about to be dragged into this stuff. I dont abuse my gf, I wouldnt abuse my kids. The people I hang with don't either. It's unfortunate there are some athletes who do bad stuff...but it's not for me to decide who gets to play and who doesnt. I just want to watch the games without having to worry about where I stand on a certain player getting in trouble.

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