THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2003
Gores of the gridiron: Violence in the NFL - KHORRAM COUNTRY - THE COMMENTARY
By Babak Khorram
VANCOUVER - "Pro football" can be a very descriptive term. It speaks of battles on cold November nights and of clashes in the snow. It speaks of the glory of victory and the agony of defeat. And nowhere are these statements truer than in the National Football League, where games are played as if they're the be all and end all of human existence. In a sport where the average career is only a few years, these modern-day gladiators risk it all every time they take the field.
The punishment taken by the body is immense but so is the punishment taken by the mind, which often goes unseen and untreated. The pressure placed on the NFL's players from the media and the millions of fans across North America (and the world for that matter) are enough to make any human being crumble. The mentality of players, on the field, is on of anger and annihilation. Logically, one can assume, that this mentality may transcend off the field. Often, the league's players lose control off the field, committing misdemeanours as well as felonies, resulting in arrests and even imprisonment. For that reason, violent crimes involving NFL or ex-NFL players should come as no surprise to us. In fact, one might argue, they should be expected.
It is clearly evident, when one looks at the league's recent history that NFL players are more prone to commit violent crimes than the average person per se. In the past decade or so, numerous players and ex-players have been arrested and even convicted for major felonies. In their book, Pros and Cons, Jeff Benedict and Don Yaeger led the first comprehensive investigation into the criminal backgrounds of NFL players. The probe examined the criminal histories of 509 active players who were randomly selected from the 1996-97 rosters. Of them, 109 players (a staggering 21%) had been arrested or indicted, a combined 264 times more then the general public, for crimes more serious than minor misdemeanours. The charges included two for homicide, four for kidnapping, seven for rape, forty-two for assault or aggravated assault, and forty-five for domestic violence.
Unfortunately, the situation has not improved. Just a few years ago, Ray Lewis, considered by many people to be the league's premier player at the time was arrested for double-homicide. His arrest was the result of an altercation with two men outside an Atlanta nightclub. Fortunately for Lewis, the charges were dropped and he was charged with obstruction of justice. Yet, worse situations have risen. Just prior to Lewis' arrest, police arrested Carolina Panther wide receiver Rae Carruth for his part in a drive-by shooting that left his pregnant girlfriend dead. According to numerous sources, Carruth, whose now facing the death penalty, begged his girlfriend to have an abortion but when she refused, Carruth accused her of "wanting to suck money from him."
Not only are active players more prone to commit felonies but also, as history has taught us, so are ex-players. The O.J. Simpson trial, dubbed by many as the trial of the century, is yet another example. Although Simpson was never convicted of murder he was, however, convicted of domestic violence against his deceased wife, Nicole Brown. Currently, Simpson is finding ways to pay off his legal fees but in his spare time he searches for the "real" killer(s).
Nevertheless, some people, like NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, feel that violence isn't just the NFL's problem but society's problem. In other words, NFL players represent a normal segment of the American male population that is prone to commit acts of violence. Firstly, NFL players are not a "normal" segment of the population. They're paid extremely well to work sixteen to twenty times a year and most have a university/college education. Ray Carruth, for example, attended Colorado University, where he double-majored in English and Education. Not only did he receive All-Big 12 Academic Honours but also planned to become an English teacher at the end of his career.
One would figure that a league containing "educated" millionaires wouldn't have a violence problem, but that's hardly the case with the NFL. Over 21% of the NFL's players have been arrested or indicted of major felonies. Secondly, NFL teams have numerous physicians and counsellors to help players cope with their physical, mental, and social well-being. Prospective draftees are taken through rigorous mental and emotional assessments to determine their suitability as professional athletes. All this to ensure that the team won't end up with a bad "apple."
Commissioner Tagliabue has taken steps to show that the NFL won't put up with off-field violence by handing out stiffer punishments and even bigger fines. Perhaps, in the end, all the league's efforts will be in vain. In the end, the fate of the NFL may lie with the fate of the Gladiators of Ancient Rome. As its violent nature grows, the NFL, like the Gladiators before them, will diminish leaving only the echo of its battle cries to be heard.
You may reach Babak Khorram at bkhorram@thecommentary.ca
Mr. Khorram will return in three weeks.