Allie Rooney ’16
Sports Editor
Recently, there has been much controversy surrounding the way professional sports are handling a very serious situation – domestic violence. Most of the debate focuses particularly on two sports leagues: the National Football League and the United States women’s soccer team. The NFL has drawn major attention from the public and media surrounding the case of a Baltimore Ravens star running back, Ray Rice.
Rice, a former Pro Bowler, was arrested in Atlantic City in February on an assault charge for hitting then-fiancée Janay Palmer. Rice appeared in court where he pleaded not guilty. Because he was a first time offender, he was accepted into New Jersey’s pre-trial intervention program (which included community service and educational programs aimed to prevent future offenses). This program enabled Rice to avoid jail time, and possibly result in having the charges expunged from his record.
When he was accused, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Rice for two games. On Aug. 28, Goodell came before the press and confessed that he “didn’t get it right” when it came to Rice’s two-game suspension. He then made the domestic violence penalty much stricter – a six-game suspension without pay for the first offense, and a lifetime ban for a second offense.
Then, on Sept. 8, a video showing the visuals of Rice’s attack on Palmer was leaked to the public by TMZ Sports. The video showed Rice punching his fiancée in an elevator, knocking her unconscious, and then proceeding to drag her out onto the platform. On that same day, Rice was released by the Baltimore Ravens, and also suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
There’s an ongoing investigation as to whether or not the NFL actually received the videotape prior to it being made public. Rice has appealed his indefinite suspension, and it’s argued by some that he shouldn’t be receiving such harsh treatment because this is his first offense and according to the recently revised NFL guidelines, the first offense should instead result in a six-game suspension.
There’s another case of a somewhat similar charge against the starting goalkeeper of the U.S. women’s soccer team, Hope Solo. Solo is a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner who pleaded not guilty on Monday, June 23, to two counts of fourth-degree domestic violence assault involving her half-sister and 17-year-old nephew. On June 21, Washington state police responded to a 911 call. When police arrived at the scene, they reported that Solo appeared “intoxicated and upset.” According to several court documents, the nephew of the 33-year-old superstar claims that the two of them had a verbal run-in, when Solo punched him in the face and tackled him. When Solo’s half-sister (who was the 17-year-old’s mother) stepped in, Solo also attacked her. Court documents claim that Solo’s nephew then broke a wooden broom over Solo’s head in attempt to help his mother.
When she appeared in court on June 23, she was released on the condition that she “avoided contact with her half-sister and 17-year-old nephew, and not drink alcohol.” U.S. Soccer, as well as the U.S. Olympic Committee, has not taken any action against Hope Solo. The team, as well as her major sponsor Nike, is supporting her at this time.
It’s important to note that Nike was a sponsor of Ray Rice as well, and that the company suspended their sponsorship with him after news about his charges became public. Once Hope Solo’s trial goes back to court on Nov. 6, she could face up to six months in jail if she is found guilty of the charges.
The issue that arises here is question of whether or not there is a “double standard” when it comes to the punishment, or lack there of as some argue, that Hope Solo received as compared to Ray Rice.
Because the trial has not occurred yet, the goalie is still a member of the national team. She’s played in a match against Mexico as recently as Sept. 18, where she was given the captain’s armband to wear in celebration of her record-breaking number of shutout games.
Some argue that Solo shouldn’t be able to play until the trial has come and gone. Writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, John Smallwood, wrote “solving the problem in the NFL while ignoring the issue elsewhere would accomplish little as a whole.”
ESPN analyst Kate Fagan also stated, “The U.S. women’s national team is sending the wrong message by allowing Solo to continue playing.” Some claim that Hope Solo is a role model for many young girls, just as Rice was looked up to in Baltimore by fans, teammates and coaches, and therefore should be subject to just as much punishment as the football star.
The other side of the debate is that while the two incidents do revolve around domestic violence, Rice’s situation involved him physically knocking out his fiancée and dragging her around, while Solo’s situation consisted of a family fight, and was not as serious.
Additionally, some argue that because of the brutality of Rice’s case and the video that has gone viral, he is being rightfully punished. The difference between the two cases, as argued by defendants of Solo, is the fact that she has not yet had her day in court and should be allowed to continue to play up until that time comes.
