A long overdue opinion on DeflateGate vs. Domestic Violence

My thoughts about #DeflateGate actually have little to do with the cheating / punishment. As a Colts fan, I was always aware New England was probably going to beat Indianapolis in the AFC Championship. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have hope for my team, but throughout all of the controversy, anyone with half of a brain knew the Patriots were pretty much the best team in the NFL. Semi-deflated footballs were not going to make a difference in the 45–7 outcome.

Since Tom Brady’s suspension was handed down by the NFL, fans of both the Pats and the game of football have reacted, most angry about how the NFL will crack down on some minor cheating, but will apparently allow worse crimes such as rape, child abuse and domestic violence.

Ten. That’s the number of women in my life I thought of in the same amount of seconds who’ve been abused or assaulted, either physically, sexually or emotionally by men in their lives. It’s quite possible for anyone reading to also know someone who has faced a similar traumatic experience.

Because of this, I understand why people want to compare Brady’s punishment against the (lack of) discipline brought against someone who we all watched knock his girlfriend out in an elevator, only to drag her around like a rag doll. It would be wrong to invalidate the sudden feeling of passion instead of indifference from the general public because there really are no words to describe how much worse crimes like domestic violence, child abuse, murder, dog fighting, and rape are compared to deflating footballs.

That being said, to all of a sudden question the NFL’s integrity because of Brady’s suspension makes me wonder where our consciences have been for decades as spectators. If you’re a fan of the NFL, names like Michael Vick, Ben Roethlisberger, Ray Lewis and OJ Simpson should ring a bell as high profile athletes who were accused, charged or even convicted of serious crimes that were later forgiven and in some cases seemingly forgotten by fans and NFL at large.

Despite more scandals made public in 2014, (such as Adrian Peterson’s child abuse or Ray Rice’s domestic violence charges), there’s still a huge disconnect between what fans condone and what they support. Did it really take the difference in punishment between Rice and Brady for people to realize and care that the systemic values of our sports institutions are totally and completely corrupt?

This Boston.com article shows some of the reactions over DeflateGate where people draw the deflation vs. abuse comparisons. Many of my friends and acquaintances also made similar statements on social media, standing by the Patriots and beloved Brady, sharing very admirable opinions on the severity of violence and abuse.

While it’s about time people notice something isn’t right about the NFL’s disciplinary process, none of it is going to make a difference when so many of the same people, famous or from your Facebook feed, still show up to support other athletes with lengthy criminal charges. Despite angry tweets about Ray Rice, a couple of people from the above article (though not the majority), many professional athletes and plenty in my social media circle supported Floyd Mayweather (accused of assault on five women, seven different times) earlier this month when he fought Manny Pacquiao.

It’s a bit hypocritical fans and players are fuming about the Rice vs. Brady punishments, yet are seemingly unaware of their own support, either given through social media or credit card to other documented abusers. Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen, Danny Amendola, LaGarrette Blount and Rob Gronkowski all either supported Mayweather on Twitter or by watching the fight live at the MGM Grand. Tom Brady was in the third row.

*Note: Players from my favorite teams (T.Y. Hilton of the Colts and Dez Bryant of the Cowboys) also tweeted in support of Mayweather during the fight. It’s not just the Patriots, or even just the NFL.

For those still reading, how many people do you know who pretended to care about “the fight of the century,” even going as far as to watch it in a bar, or maybe worse chip in to watch it on PPV? Did you maybe even make the Brady / Rice punishment comparisons but watch or pay for the fight yourself? Now, not every Patriots fan is doing this, but how much support did you see or give yourself to Floyd Mayweather, only to later see a remark or comment regarding Ray Rice not receiving a harsh enough sanction?

Is someone who supports people like this are any better than the abuser themselves? Obviously there’s so much corruption in the NFL and throughout much of professional sports in terms of athlete glorification despite criminal charges and records. But nothing is going to change until we hold our so-called role models accountable for decisions they make off the field.

Does that mean boycotting watching the NFL draft or even regular season games? I like football as much as the next person, and I don’t know the best next move, but the passionate comparisons between Brady and Rice’s punishments are irrelevant when we support others in the NFL or different leagues by continuing to watch, buy merchandise or go to games.