A P.R. Crisis? The Problem of Domestic Violence in the NFL

Question: To what extent should a sportsperson's bad actions off the field affect their professional lives on the field? 

Answer: To the extent that it negatively affects positive P.R.

2nd Question: So how important is positive P.R.?

Answer: Extremely important.


1.  Ray Rice

• Former Baltimore Ravens Running Back
• Sacked and banned indefinitely from the NFL after footage of him punching his then-fiance unconscious in an elevator, emerged on website TMZ.

  

  Ray Rice

Now initially after reading this you may agree with the severity of the punishment given to Ray Rice. After all, his behaviour was completely disgusting and should never be tolerated by anyone. He deserves to be punished.

Only problem is: Ray Rice was already punished for this. Back in February 2014 (when the incident originally occurred), he was given a 2 game ban, so it's no wonder Rice has appealed against his punishment. 

So why the harsher sanction? The negative P.R. of course. 

The massive fallout from the the graphic nature of the TMZ video was too much to ignore, forcing the Baltimore Ravens to revise their initial punishment in order to save face. The campaign to negate the negative P.R. was typified when the club decided to offer fans exchanges on their purchased Ray Rice jersey, with one fan admitting, "What [Rice] did wasn't right, and I don't want to wear a jersey of a player who acted like that". 

2. Adrian Peterson

• Minnesota Vikings Running Back
• Indicted on a count of reckless or negligent injury to a child, after reportedly using a tree branch to discipline his son.
• Suspended indefinitely from all team activities

  

  Adrian Peterson

The problem in this case is that Peterson had already missed the game against the New England Patriots as a consequence of his actions. Now the club has decided to place Peterson on the Exempt/Commissioner's Permission list to give him time to "take care of his personal situation until the legal proceedings are resolved". 

Why the sudden turn around? Easy, P.R.

Following the widespread criticism of his reinstatement into the team, Nike decided to pull Peterson's merchandise from its shelves, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, other sponsors of the NFL such as McDonald's, Visa and Campbell Soup Company raised concerns about incidents of violence in the sport on the whole, with Radisson being the first sponsor to pull their support of their club.

Alcohol brewer Anheuser Busch also fired a "warning" shot to the NFL:

"We are disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season...we are not yet satisfied with the league's handling of behaviours that so clearly go against our own company culture and moral code". We have shared our concerns and expectations with the league."

Ha! "Moral code"?? How rich coming from the alcohol company. When nearly 88,000 people die from alcohol related causes annually (making it the 3rd leading preventable cause of death in the United States) alcohol companies are the last people who should be talking about maintaining morality.

The truth of the matter is brands do not care about the players and they do not care about their actions. Their only concern is how the problem looks. When Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson were originally punished by their clubs the sponsors did not have a word to say about it. It was only when the TMZ video was released and people started voicing their disgusts louder and louder that they suddenly felt the need to outline their concerns and reiterate their so called "moral" grounds. They only care about perception and what consumers like you and I think on the matter. Positive P.R. has less to do with being good and more to do with being seen to be good. It's all about perception. It's all about reputation, and ultimately, it's all about money. Anybody who thinks differently is sorely mistaken.