In the fall of 2021, the National Football League\u2019s internal probe revealed emails sent by Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden between 2011 and 2018 that contained racist, sexist, and homophobic langauge. Within a week, the NFL and the Raiders forced Gruden to resign. This particular story might suggest that the NFL takes instances of bigotry and inappropriate behavior seriously and supports marginalized groups and victims of harassment, but the organization has repeatedly shown that it values money over justice. Have the NFL\u2019s priorities actually changed, or is Jon Gruden\u2019s departure from the league a fluke event?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Since 2010, the NFL has struggled<\/a> to discipline personnel who have committed acts of domestic violence and has attempted to silence player-led racial justice protests. Over the summer of 2014, TMZ released a graphic video showing Baltimore Ravens running-back Ray Rice dragging his unconscious fiancee (now wife) out of a casino elevator in Atlantic City. In response to this horrific video, the NFL suspended Rice for just two games, drawing heavy criticism from fans, media, and players alike. Twitter buzzed with comments<\/a> like \u201cWhat if that was YOUR daughter?\u201d, \u201c2 games. Disturbing,\u201d and \u201che should get the LIFE ban.\u201d The online firestorm became so intense that the NFL increased its minimum suspensions for instances of domestic violence to six games for a first offense and a lifetime ban for second offenses. The next month, TMZ released the camera footage from inside the elevator, which showed Rice violently punching his fianc\u00e9. That same day, the Ravens cut Rice and the league suspended him indefinitely. The league continues to claim<\/a> it hadn\u2019t seen the second video until it was released to the public, but \u201csixty-one percent<\/a> of football fans said they didn’t think the NFL investigated fully.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Likewise, running-back Kareem Hunt was suspended for 8 games and released by his team after a video showed him pushing and kicking a woman. The next season, he was signed by a new team and has since fully returned to the league, sending the message that \u201cmoney<\/a> matters more than women.\u201d The same season, the San Francisco 49ers released linebacker Reuben Foster after he was charged with domestic violence; the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders) picked him up just 48 hours later. Evidently, teams prioritize winning football games over punishing violent offenders and deterring future incidents of domestic abuse. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Of all the NFL\u2019s social justice conflicts, Colin Kaepernick\u2019s decision to kneel during the pregame national anthem is the most publicized. During the 2016 season, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback took action against racism and police violence, saying<\/a> that he was \u201cnot going to stand up to show pride for a country that oppresses black people\u201d and that \u201cit would be selfish on [his] part to look the other way.\u201d Initially, both his team and the league office disapproved of, but tolerated, Kaepernick\u2019s public protest. Both organizations shared statements that emphasized the importance of the national anthem and encouraged players to stand, but also pointed out that America\u2019s tenet of freedom gives everyone the choice to opt out of celebrating the country\u2019s flag. Roger Goodell, the NFL\u2019s commissioner, felt similarly, explaining that while he doesn\u2019t \u201cnecessarily<\/a> agree with what [Kaepernick]\u201d was doing, he believes \u201cvery strongly in patriotism\u201d and \u201c[supports] players when they want to see change in society<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n After a rough start to the season, the 49ers promoted Kaepernick to the starting role. Despite average play from the quarterback, the team still finished with a disastrous 2-14 record for the season. Kaepernick then opted out of his contract for the next season, making him a free agent and available to any team willing to sign him. But no teams did. According to an anonymous general manager, some teams<\/a> thought he wasn\u2019t good enough. Others didn\u2019t want to deal with the drama and backlash that would inevitably result from signing the quarterback, and another group of teams \u201cgenuinely [hated] him and [couldn\u2019t] stand what he did.\u201d A year later, Kaepernick still hadn\u2019t been signed, despite his qualifications and playoff experience. He filed a collusion grievance against the NFL, claiming that the teams intentionally ignored him because they disagreed with his political statement. His legal team would later settle<\/a> for $10 million, about the average yearly salary for a starting quarterback.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That same season, the movement spread across the league and into other sports, with a majority of teams participating. However, in the summer of 2018, the league imposed a new rule requiring players to either stand for the anthem or stay in the locker room. After negotiating with the players, the NFL agreed not to hand out fines or suspensions for violations of the new policy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Years later, Kaepernick still doesn\u2019t have a job despite his insistence that he is still ready to play at a high level. While Roger Goodell has publicly stated that he was \u201cwrong<\/a> for not listening to NFL players earlier, and he encourages all to speak out and peacefully protest,\u201d he has yet to make an effort to help Kaepernick re-enter the league.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Since George Floyd\u2019s death and the racial justice protests of 2020, the NFL has finally begun to consider social justice. \u201cThe league<\/a> and its broadcast partners did all they could to show that the NFL will embrace dialogue with its players and fans about race and racism.\u201d During the first week of the 2020 season, some players stayed in the locker room and others, \u201csupported<\/a>, this time, by the league … [kneeled] or [linked arms] during not just one national anthem but a second, \u2018Lift Every Voice and Sing,\u2019 known as the Black national anthem.\u2019\u201d Similarly, in 2021, Carl Nassib (who played for Gruden\u2019s Raiders, ironically) became the first active NFL player to come out<\/a> as gay. Finally, the NFL\u2019s swift and forceful handling of John Gruden\u2019s offensive comments may be a sign that the league has turned a corner and will shift its priorities towards inclusion, instead of strictly focusing on money. As of 2022<\/a>, the NFL has included messages such as \u201cStop hate\u201d on jerseys and hats, and has donated $180 million to social justice efforts in the past five years. The league is still far behind other athletic organizations (such as the NBA) in its social justice efforts, but it has made steps in the right direction, and fans should be optimistic about the NFL\u2019s future.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the fall of 2021, the National Football League\u2019s internal probe revealed emails sent by Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden between 2011 and 2018 that contained racist, sexist, and homophobic langauge. Within a week, the NFL and the Raiders forced Gruden to resign. 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