Domestic Violence and DUI are PR Problems for the NFL

Commissioner  Pledges to Crack Down on DUI and Domestic Violence in the NFL.

In an interview with Mike Friedman of CBSsports.com, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged the rise in DWI and domestic violence arrests among NFL players.  Goodell said he’s serious about combating these issues and has already initiated talks with the NFL players union leader DeMaurice Smith.  The Commissioner was quoted as saying,

“We are going to do some things to combat this problem because some of the numbers on DUIs and domestic violence are going up and that disturbs me. When there’s a pattern of mistakes, something has got to change.”

However, the report does not give any details of any proposed changes.  The report did say,

“The main way the league wants to do this, he said, is strengthen already existing policies. The league may also add some new ones…”

Currently, players who are arrested for DWI are  subject to evaluation and entry into the leagues substance program. Those who are convicted of domestic violence can be fined or suspended from play.  Despite the league imposed penalties, DWI and domestic violence  continue to be a significant public relations problem for the NFL.  For what it’s worth, Michael Friedman was optimistic about the strengthening of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He wrote,

There is the sense that something will indeed get done and I also get the feeling that changes won’t be cosmetic. The union and league will take substantial actions, which include stiffer penalties for players who commit these crimes.

Time will tell if the NFL will amend it’s personal conduct policy and whether new policies will stem the DUI in domestic violence arrests.