As the NFL continues to deal with the fallout from the 2014 Ray Rice incident, it is taking steps to limit athletes who have a criminal or domestic violence in history.
In a memo sent out to NFL teams on January 25, the NFL announced that draft prospects who wish to enter the Scouting Combine must go through a background check. If the check “shows misdemeanor or felony convictions involving violence or use of a weapon, domestic violence, sexual offense and/or sexual assault”, then the prospect will not be allowed to attend either the Scouting Combine or the draft.
Any prospect who refuses to go through the background check will also be barred from those two events. NFL Football Operations Executive Vice President Troy Vincent stated that “It is important for us to remain strongly committed to league values as we demonstrate to our fans, future players, coaches, general managers, and others who support our game that character matters.”
This does not mean that teams will not be allowed to draft these players, and teams will be allowed to give them private workouts. Furthermore, elite prospects like Joey Bosa and Laremy Tunsll would still be drafted even if they did not attend the combine.
But for the mid-tier NFL prospect, not being able to attend the draft combine would be a blow. The combine serves as a place for NFL teams to look at prospects without the hassle of a private workout, and not being allowed to attend would further highlight any malcontent’s background.
It should be noted that this policy would bar extremely few players. Some sports analysts have observed that Seattle Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark may have fallen afoul of this policy. Clark, who was drafted in the second round in the 2015 NFL Draft, was arrested for domestic violence in 2014 for allegedly punching his girlfriend and then slamming her into the ground. He was kicked off the Michigan Wolverines for the incident.
However, Clark ended up pleading guilty to persistent disorderly conduct, which would not qualify as a conviction involving domestic violence. Thus, the only player who would have been banned under this rule in the last three years is Zach Mettenberger, who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2014.
Given these factors, it is clear that this rule is more intended for public consumption than as an actual solution for combating domestic violence by NFL players. To begin with, while the public may believe that NFL athletes are a bunch of thugs willing to beat their wives, NFL players are less likely to commit domestic violence or other crimes relative to the general populace.
There is also the potential problem of whether it is acceptable to continually punish players who have already served their time. Witness the example of Michael Vick, who was let back into the NFL in 2009 after serving nearly two years for being part of a dogfighting ring. Vick was viewed by many as the second best player or even the best player in the NFL in 2010, has managed to stay in the league since his reinstatement, and has been campaigning for animal rights.
And while the combine may be important for NFL prospects, attending the draft event itself is meaningless.
But while this decision will likely not change things a great deal, it does show that the NFL now understands that it must change public perception and limit the impact which domestic violence charges can have on its reputation. If that means that things become harder for a few prospects, then that may be an acceptable path for the NFL to take.
