Why Ray Rice's suspension highlights the NFL's cowardice

Today the NFL had a chance to communicate a clear message: we will not tolerate violence against women. More specifically, beating a woman to the point of unconsciousness and leaving her in an elevator is neanderthal behavior, and the sort of conduct that mature, adult professionals would never consider.

Instead the message delivered to Ray Rice after he left his then fiancee in that condition was akin to a parent banning a child from watching television. For one evening.

Rice has been suspended without pay for two games and fined an additional $58,000, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The number of games -- an eighth of the season -- is pathetic, and the monetary punishment gets worse. The Baltimore Ravens running back is currently playing under a five-year contract signed in 2012 worth $35 million. Of that, $25 million is guaranteed, and he has a base salary this year of $4 million.

Rice allegedly struck his now wife Janay Palmer in Atlantic City, leaving her face down on the ground with her feet blocking an elevator door. The two had an argument Rice ended with violence. Video evidence of the evening suggests that is not in dispute, but where the NFL seems to be confused -- and lacks courage -- is when the league is asked to punish a player who hasn’t felt the hard hand of the law.

Rice was charged with assault, but was able to avoid prosecution by completing a pre-trial intervention program. The law was essentially lenient after a first offense, a stance Roger Goodell didn’t need to duplicate. Not when players like Josh Gordon face a year-long ban for smoking marijuana, a substance that’s now legal in two states, and something society generally views with a softer eye.

But the comparison between Rice and the likes of Gordon isn’t quite that simple. Gordon’s suspension fell under the substance abuse policy, while Rice’s is under the personal conduct policy. The problem is the broad definition of the latter, and the severe disconnect between the two.

The personal conduct policy allows for a player to be suspended even when he’s not convicted of a crime, just as Ben Roethlisberger was for his Milledgeville escapades a few years back. The purpose of the policy is to maintain and, more importantly, enforce a standard of professional conduct, just as should be expected in any workplace.

The official wording that outlines the policy’s purpose is as follows:

It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime. Instead, as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values upon which the League is based, and is lawful.

Further down, the document says the specific terms or length of any punishment will be “based on the nature of the incident, the actual or threatened risk to the participant and others, any prior or additional misconduct (whether or not criminal charges were filed), and other relevant factors”.

That’s where we find the vague language. With Rice there was (again, alleged) violence and spousal abuse that makes you feel filthy just thinking about it. Following common sense then, he should at minimum receive the equivalent of a suspension for substance abuse.

A second substance violation results in a four-game suspension. But in the personal conduct policy there’s leniency for a player who’s a first-time offender, which likely made Goodell hesitant.

The gap between the two policies lies in the broad and unique nature of a personal conduct violation. There’s a wide range of what a person can do to fall under its umbrella, and attempting to squeeze all that into the same language is difficult, and it can often end horribly.

That’s likely how we arrived here: a lack of specific language in a legal document. Which makes me feel itchy, and suddenly I have the need to take a shower.

If NFL players truly are held to a higher standard, then at some point a new precedent needs to be established. One that says violence against women will receive the harshest hammer possible, and will be treated with far more malice than the use of non performance-enhancing drugs.

Sadly the NFL’s heaviest hand was two games. Say, I wonder if there’s a lineup for Rice-branded ladies apparel?