An Unstable Way

At the beginning of the last NFL season, we all were horrified by the Ray Rice video. Unfortunately, this video showed Roger Goodell that Ray Rice only deserved a two-game suspension. And while the commissioner eventually did what I believe was the right thing with a suspension of a full season, it put doubt in my mind and many other fans minds about what was going on in the NFL. This video featuring Sportscenter anchor Hannah Storm entitled "What Does the NFL Stand For?" capped off an emotional week, one that many sports fans would rather forget.

Since then, several other suspensions have been handed down, most notably a ten-game suspension to Greg Hardy and a four-game suspension to Tom Brady. 

Hardy's suspension, for domestic violence.
Brady's suspension, for deflating footballs.

If that is where the suspensions ended, I would not be writing this article. Both suspensions were deserved. Both suspensions, I believe, were the proper length. But that is not where it ended. Greg Hardy's suspension dropped to four games. Tom Brady's suspension stayed at four games. How can we abide by such a double standard? Is deflating footballs really as bad as domestic violence? Is cheating in a game as bad as sexual assault?

I believe that unless we see a change in how the NFL operates in these situations, situations that really should never come into question, we may begin to see the collapse of the National Football League. James 1:8 says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." When a double standard comes in, we see collapse. Communism, a philosophy full of double standards and contradictions, has collapsed when it is practiced to its fullest. And even here, in our America, a double standard is raging. One cannot turn on the news without seeing some form of hypocrisy. Today, we are seeing the collapse of morals in the country that we love. 

And so today, I echo the sentiment of Hannah Storm and other sports fans: What exactly does the NFL stand for? What exactly does the Constitution stand for? What exactly does our history as Americans, the men and women who fought and died, the people who suffered for what was right, stand for?

Photo Sources: 
http://i.forbesimg.com/media/lists/people/tom-brady_416x416.jpg
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--XcsZYzAa--/18s4feuoxqv78jpg.jpg
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/bb9699acc7481397d4e591b6a839a1b3b07b2d94/c=89-114-2980-3969&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2015/03/04/USATODAY/USATODAY/635610725637255783-c02-hardy-0912.jpg

Video Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY6wO7asRMk