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[heroandlegend]

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[cmcwhertor]

More Bad News For The NFL

Is it time to stop watching the NFL? Or maybe sports in general? After the Ray Rice debacle last week comes news that Adrian Peterson, star running back for the Minnesota Vikings and top fantasy player in the NFL, used a switch to punish his four year-old-son. The switch, in this case, was a tree branch with the leaves removed. The incident occurred in Texas in May but Peterson was only recently indicted by a grand jury. He turned himself in and then was released on a bond.

There seems to be a lot of debate going around over what is appropriate punishment that a parent can inflict on a child. Peterson has complied with all inquiries and is contending that this was normal punishment consistent with what he received while growing up in Texas. While I understand there is a variety of opinions that people form depending on how they were raised and treated as a child, siding with Peterson on this seems to be a stretch. Unfortunately I have to link to TMZ and their reporting of this since it was the only article I could find that actually shows the injuries that the child received. Here is their article. Don't click if you don't to see it but I actually think it is quite important to this case.

I can't look at those pictures and consider this routine or appropriate punishment. The repeated strikes and the still red and swollen marks a week after the event turn my stomach. I should also repeat, this was done to a four-year-old. I'm not a child development specialist but I've hung out with some four-year-old kids before and they don't often know what they are doing or why.

The Vikings were smart and deactivated Peterson for their game today. I'm not so sure they would have done that if not for the Rice fiasco and how poorly that was handled by everyone involved. I'm not so certain what will happen going forward. To me this is domestic violence and should fall under the new NFL policy and Peterson should be suspended. However, the judicial system might take a while to mete out that justice, which could include a jail sentence but will almost assuredly only be probation. So does Peterson play - with these graphic pictures coming out - while we wait for that process to take place? Since he has already admitted to striking his son and is not hiding it, I'd say the NFL should suspend him since the actions are not in doubt. Let the courts decision come into affect later.

The NFL is a complete mess right now with issues of domestic violence in addition to Rice and Peterson. Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers was found guilty in July of assaults and threatening an ex-girlfriend and played in week one because he is appealing for a jury trial. Christine Brennan had a good take on this in her column. Hardy has now been deactivated for today's game. Brennan also mentions San Francisco 49ers player Ray McDonald who has been accused of domestic violence but continues to play. His coach, Jim Harbaugh, has publicly stated that he will have no tolerance for such actions.

I can see why the NFL might have to wait on cases like Peterson and McDonald until a court rules, but the teams don't. They could end the questions and the controversy and just not let them play, which the Vikings have done, for now. Let's not forget games. And winning! The focus on the NFL and sadly its fans, remains out of balance.

So maybe we should stop watching. I know it's impossible for the football loving country that we are to stop watching the NFL but how else does a message get across? Or maybe stop going to games,  or maybe ordering the cable package, or buying jerseys. Grown-ups shouldn't wear jerseys with other people's names on it anyway (except for the ever-dreamy Garrett Jones). I learned this too late unfortunately.

I can't watch the NFL today. I'm grossed out. Not just by the actions but the desire to overlook them by those in charge. I don't know if I'll last more than a week but right now I don't want to watch, so I won't. I find myself not caring about the NFL anymore, and since a lot of these problems seem to happen because we care too much, hopefully more people will begin to feel the same way. 

Remember, it's just a bunch of people playing games.