This week, the National Football League told Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice he couldn’t play professional football anymore, after a horrific video surfaced of Rice punching his then-fiancé (now wife) in an Atlantic City hotel elevator in February 2014. Previously, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had given Rice a very light two-game suspension without pay, while talk shows and commenters debated the punishment and what it said about domestic abuse and the standards of conduct required for NFL players. (By comparison, a Carolina Panthers football player received a four-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance last May.) Meanwhile, Rice entered a pretrial intervention program with the goal of dismissing the third-degree aggravated assault charges against him.

The NFL is a $9 billion organization, and its players not only represent the league and its respective teams, but also serve as role models in communities across the United States. It is a powerful brand.

For the NFL, players accept that as part of their work as football players, their conduct off the field impacts the NFL’s business and reputation. Rice’s ejection makes perfect business sense. What the league mishandled was waiting until the video surfaced to fire Rice. Once an allegation of wrongdoing surfaced that was substantiated and impacted the business, the league should have disciplined him. Waiting to make the right call sends the wrong message to fans and other players. It says that Goodell does not think beating up a woman will impact ticket sales or financial performance, so the league should allow Rice to suit up for the Ravens.

Read more: www.corpcounsel.com/id=1202669421108/Ray-Rice-and-the-NFLs-Compliance-Fumbles#ixzz3CuTvZfjE

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