Letter to Ozzie Newsome, General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens - Impose Stiffer Penalty on Ray Rice

Letter

As we wrote to National Football League Commission Roger Goodell today, we are appalled by the imposition of a mere two-game suspension on Ray Rice for the disturbing acts of violence he committed against his then-fiancée. Both on its own and in relation to the longer suspensions the NFL has imposed for a variety of low-level, non-violent offenses, this suspension is plainly inadequate, and it leads to the inescapable conclusion that the NFL does not consider domestic violence to be a serious crime.

We have asked Commissioner Goodell to reconsider the length of Mr. Rice's suspension and to develop policies for dealing with any similar incidents that occur in the future. Our firm hope is that the NFL will reconsider its response and send a clearer message that this sort of behavior is completely unacceptable. If the NFL fails to do so, however, we urge you to use your own authority to impose a longer suspension on Mr. Rice -- one that clearly indicates that knocking a woman unconscious is a despicable act of violence that has no place in professional sports or, indeed, anywhere in civilized society.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this issue.

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