NFL's Image Problem
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The NFL's image is further damaged by a New York Times article today titled, "N.F.L. Shows It Doesn't Really Care About Domestic Violence." The piece starts by highlighting declining viewership, for which the league blames the current election. Certainly, people are sensitized to sexual assault incidents, but the NFL isn't helping itself:
"Yet again, in the case of Giants kicker Josh Brown, the league has shown that it could not care less about women and really, really doesn't want to call out its players for doing bad things to them."
Tough words. But the Times explains that Brown "was charged with assaulting his wife" "more than two dozen times." After investigating the case for 10 months, the NFL decided to suspend Brown for only one game.
The Times also said the league blamed the victim: "Brown's wife had failed to cooperate, the league said, and that's why its investigators couldn't get to the bottom of what he had done."
People are voicing their dismay on Twitter, with the second tweet here retweeted almost 2,000 times.
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the Times' headline: overstated, unfair, spot-on, or something else?
- To what extent do you think these assault issues are causing declining viewership?
- What should the NFL do to restore its image?
