NFL Controversy Offers a Teachable Moment

Ray Rice, former Baltimore Ravens star running back, was terminated by the team and suspended by the NFL on September 15 after a video of him punching his fiancé surfaced. Photo by Flick contributor Keith Allison

Thanks to the internet, millions of people have seen the video that shook the National Football League: Ray Rice, the star running back for the Baltimore Ravens, slugging his fiancée, Janay Palmer, in a casino elevator in February.

Emily Rothman, a School of Public Health associate professor of community health sciences, and other domestic violence experts regard this as a teachable moment—not just because it drives home the problem of domestic abuse, but because it raises questions about other issues, such as the culture of professional sports and public perceptions of people who stay with abusive partners.

The Rice case has ignited a wave of protest against the NFL, which initially handed Rice a two-game suspension. After the video surfaced, the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely—leading to charges that the league looked the other way until the video became public.

Rothman, who studies both the causes and the impact of intimate partner violence, has followed the case and the reactions it’s stirred—including a backlash against Palmer (now Rice’s wife) for staying with him. She has published more than three dozen studies on the topic of interpersonal violence, and is now collaborating with colleagues at Boston Medical Center on an intervention designed to break the cycle of domestic violence among young adults. She teaches courses on intimate partner violence prevention and sexual violence prevention.

BU Today talked to Rothman about the Rice incident and its effect on public perception of abusive behavior.

BU Today: Is there something unique about the NFL—or professional sports generally—that creates an environment for domestic abuse?

Rothman: I’m not sure it’s unique to the NFL, but sports that reinforce traditional gender norms—such as, men should use brute force, and women are delicate—and environments where solving problems with violence is encouraged, such as the military, are both associated with higher risk of partner violence. Fascinatingly, this doesn’t apply only to the athletes themselves. In 2009, two researchers studied NFL game wins and losses and found that when the home team lost, calls to police about male-on-female partner violence increased substantially—even controlling for all sorts of other factors like weather, location, and pregame point spread.

While it may take more work to identify what, exactly, about US football may predispose men to assault partners, there is an association there that merits more attention.

According to recent news reports, 85 NFL players have been arrested for domestic violence since 2000. Is that coincidental or is there something more at work here?

I would say there are a number of factors that could be at work in cases where NFL or other football players perpetrate partner violence. First, I’d wonder if the player in question was using steroids, as steroid use can result in increased aggression. Second, I’d acknowledge that head injuries to the frontal lobe can sometimes result in increased aggressiveness. Third, I’d have questions about cortisol regulation in the players—if the athlete has been subjected to chronic stress or a traumatic event in childhood, that could alter how he responds to perceived threats.

Fourth, I’d wonder if there were shared attitudes or values among men who happen to be drawn to football that could be responsible for the association—such attitudes as that men deserve to be in charge in the family. Ray Rice actually said his job, now that he has been fired, is to “lead his wife.” And fifth, it’s possible that some of the drivers of partner violence—such as having an attachment disorder, having experienced child abuse, having oppositional defiance disorder as an adolescent, being generally violent or associating with violent peers—could, for some reason, be more common among men who eventually become football stars than among other groups of men.

Are there particular traits shared by typical abusers?

There is no typical abuser. After working as a batterer intervention counselor, I can tell you that people who use violence in relationships come from all walks of life. Doctors, police officers, teachers, university students, and university professors have been arrested for partner violence. Of course, people in same sex relationships can be abusive in the same way as people in opposite sex relationships. Women as well as men can be abusive.

In the entertainment world, we’ve seen a range of celebrities charged with domestic abuse—Cris Brown, Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Nicholas Cage, and Sean Penn.

There are some commonalities and factors that increase the likelihood that someone will become abusive. These include experiencing child abuse, witnessing inter-parental domestic violence, having an attachment disorder or antisocial personality disorder, being substance-dependent, engaging in delinquent activities or associating with delinquent peers, or living in a neighborhood characterized by low collective efficacy.

What do you make of the public backlash against Rice’s wife, Janay, who has been blamed for staying with him?

Backlash is typical. For example, in 1996, when the O. J. Simpson trial was going on, there were many people who didn’t want to believe that this celebrity hero was culpable. Similarly, when Cris Brown assaulted Rihanna in 2009 and pleaded guilty to felony assault, many members of the public nevertheless thought it was Rihanna’s fault—and she was judged harshly when she initially considered staying with him. Today, many people are focused on issues like whether Janay was partially to blame, because she also was engaging in the conflict, and she stayed with Rice.

I think people who have questions about whether Janay is partially to blame need to ask themselves why the answer to that question is important to them. It’s not OK for anyone to swear at their partner or to spit at them, which are both things I have heard Janay did. However, no matter what she did—it doesn’t justify Ray Rice’s actions or take away from his culpability.

Unless one is in fear of imminent bodily harm, it isn’t self-defense to punch someone in the head, and “she started it” is not an excuse that makes people any less guilty of an assault and battery crime.

So, for people who hang on to the part of this story that’s about what she did and what’s wrong with her, I’d say there is something that makes them want to turn away from the real issue and the real societal problem—because women are 2.3 times as likely to be victims of partner violence as men, and approximately four times as likely to be injured as a result of an assault by a partner as men who are victimized. All the evidence indicates that this is a problem that disproportionately affects women.

Are there positive lessons to be learned from all of the attention this case has generated?

In my School of Public Health class on partner violence, I always tell my students to have their facts ready for the Big Day—when another celebrity case occurs. In this instance, those who work in partner violence prevention were well prepared and did an excellent job responding to backlash to keep the discourse focused on holding perpetrators accountable.

That people everywhere are now thinking, talking, and seeking more information about relationship abuse is fantastic—and I have confidence that it will lead to more people seeking help for abuse perpetration or victimization and getting involved in prevention.

What would you recommend to people who believe they are being abused or know someone who is being abused?

People who think that their relationship may be unhealthy or abusive are encouraged to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) to talk things over with an informed advocate.

If you have a friend or relative you think is being abused, a good idea is to follow the tips at this website.

Students who have experienced intimate partner violence can also click here for a list of resources. Students are also encouraged to contact BU’s Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) at 617-353-7277 and faculty and staff may contact the Faculty and Staff Assistance Office at 617-353-5381.

Lisa Chedekel can be reached at chedekel@bu.edu.