Notable cases of domestic violence and attacks in sports – NBC10 Philadelphia

Notable cases of domestic violence and violence in sports originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Domestic violence and violence have affected almost every corner of the sport, in all major leagues and from athletes to executives and everything in between. Over the past decade, many players have been accused of violence.

In response, many leagues have introduced new policies against violence and abuse, ranging from general statements of condemnation to the rights listed by the league to respond to allegations. Although this is a step in the right direction, the persistence of violence in sports makes one thing clear – much remains to be done.

Here is a brief look at the history of domestic violence in sports.

What are the policies of the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL regarding violence and abuse?

Under MLB Joint policy on domestic violence, sexual violence and violence against children, there is no maximum or minimum discipline for violation. In addition to possible deviations, players may be asked to consult, comply with court rulings and surrender any weapons, at the discretion of a board of three experts and representatives of the MLBPA and the Commissioner’s Office. The League has also created educational resources for players (in English and Spanish) and provides confidential resources for players ’families.

The NBA / NBA Joint Policy on issues of domestic violence, sexual abuse and child abuse, like MLB, maximum or minimum discipline is not listed. It was established in 2017 and provides for a political committee, a confidential hotline, treatment and intervention, and the possibility of paid administrative leave during the investigation. The latest collective agreement, which runs until the 2023-24 season, also provides for a 10-game waiver for any player convicted of a violent crime.

NFL The politics of personal behavior covers any form of violence or abuse, as well as surveillance, illegal possession of weapons or drugs and other crimes. A player may be placed on paid leave (“List of dismissed commissioners”) while the league investigation continues. Rejection for violence (including sexual violence) or domestic violence will last a minimum of six games free of charge. A player who violates the policy again will be disqualified from the league.

In 2016, the NHL introduced the necessary training for its players about domestic violence and sexual assault. The NHL also reserves the right suspend the player involved in a criminal investigation if “the player’s dismissal during this period will create a significant risk of material damage to the legitimate interests and / or reputation of the League”. Unlike the other three major leagues, it has no specific policy as to how to deal with such cases.

What are the notable cases of violence and domestic violence in sports?

Trevor Bauer

On April 29, MLB implemented Fr. 324-game suspension – equal to two regular seasons – against Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, who was accused of assaulting a woman in 2021. He was on administrative leave on July 2, 2021. The investigation also uncovered another charge of physical assault in 2017. The Los Angeles District Attorney eventually chose do not bring criminal charges on the initial complaint against Bauer, but MLB continued the investigation and immediately dismissed it without payment.

With the exception of lifelong bans, this is the longest reprieve in baseball history (Felipe Vazquez has been dismissed indefinitely) from September 2019 and is currently serving a sentence under 15 articles related to sexual abuse of children). Bauer is the 16th player to be dismissed after the 2015 Policy on Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence and Child Abuse was enacted. Deviations of other players lasted from 15 to 162 games.

Ray Rice

On February 15, 2014, Ray Rice, who started from the Baltimore Ravens, and his then-bride, and now wife, Jana Palmer, quarreled at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The original video, published by TMZ Sports, shows Rice taking Palmer’s unconscious body out of the elevator.

Rice was accused of Third-degree assault under aggravating circumstances March 27. The next day he and Palmer were married. Although the criminal charges were eventually dropped in favor of court-appointed counseling, the NFL still dismissed him for the first two games of the 2014 season.

In the following months, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confessed he “didn’t get it right” in resolving the situation and promised to make the necessary changes to the review and conclusion process in the future. In September, the Ravens released Rice, and Goodell fired him indefinitely after another video of the incident appeared, showing him beating Palmer unconscious. Rice appealed indefinite rejection and won, but no team signed it.

Resolution: Two games were suspended, then indefinitely (later resumed) for assaulting his then-bride.

Glory to the Wars

A few months after winning the second Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, Voinov was arrested on charges of domestic violence against his wife Martha Varlamova.

The NHL immediately dismissed the defender, citing a collective agreement provision that allows the league to disqualify any player involved in a criminal investigation. The Kings later tried to circumvent this deviation by allowing Voinau to attend team training, but were later fined. $ 100,000 for violating them.

At a meeting nearly two months after the initial incident, officers testified that Varlamova reported that Voinov had kicked, punched and strangled her. Officers too cit found blood throughout the couple’s bedroom and a cut on Varlamova’s face that required eight stitches is believed to be the result of Voinov pushing her into a flat-screen TV.

Finally Wars pleaded guilty on a lesser charge and spent three months in a California pre-trial detention center. After his release he returned to Russiathreatened with deportation.

He was trying to return to the NHL in 2019, after being disqualified for a year reduced to 41 games since he got credit for his previously worked time. However, the “Kings” severed ties, and since then he is in the KHL.

Resolution: The annual disqualification for the 2019-20 season, which was later converted into 41 games, was credited for the 41st game he played in the previous year.

Addison Russell

Russell, a key participant in the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series, sat in total 40 games (11 in the 2018 season and 29 in the 2019 season) after MLB found his wife accused of abuse trustworthy.

Melissa Reidy-Russell originally went to Instagram in June 2017 to accuse her husband of treason for a year and a half. A friend of Reidy-Russell commented on allegations of abuse that prompted MLB to launch an investigation into the claims. Although initially refusing to cooperate with the investigation, Reidy-Russell eventually revealed accounts of physical and emotional abuse during the couple’s two-year marriage. Their divorce was completed in August 2017.

Russell returned to the field after completing a 40-game suspension, but was mostly met by whistleblowers and struggled to maintain his position in the squad. The Cubs eventually sent Russell to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs shortly before he was proposed at the end of the 2019 season. He has spent the last two seasons in South Korea and Mexico.

Resolution: Suspended 40 games for abuse against his then-wife

Ezekiel Elliott

The NFL handed Eliot a six-game disqualification ahead of his campaign after a year-long investigation concluded that the Dallas runner Cowboys violated personal league policies. He was specifically charged with inflicting multiple bodily injuries on an ex-girlfriend during five days in July 2016 in Florida.

After the initial suspension was Fr. legal whirlwind in which Elliott, the NFL and the NFL Players Association participated. Elliott unsuccessfully appealed the rejection, despite a leading NFL investigator recommending not to reject it based on evidence. Meanwhile, the NFLPA moved the case to federal court, receiving a injunction granting him permission to play on the grounds that the disciplinary process in the league was unfair.

The rejection was reinstated and appealed to the NFLPA twice more before it was finally confirmed for the fourth time, leading the Players Association to drop the lawsuit, and Elliott withdrew his appeal and served a six-game rejection until the end of the 2017 season. .

Resolution: Rejected for six games allegedly for domestic violence

Hope Solo

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2015 World Cup champion in November 2012 and her then-boyfriend, Jeremy Stevens, were involved in quarrel which ended with the arrest of Stephen and the cut of Solo’s elbow. The judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to detain him, and the next day they were married.

A year and a half later, Solo was arrested on two counts of fourth-degree assault. She hit her half-sister and nephew, declaring self-defense. She hatched one game after her arrest, but was never officially suspended. American football has come under fire for lack of punishment, and many have argued that its case is a double standards based on gender when evaluating allegations of violence.

Resolution: There was one game

Greg Hardy

Less than three months after Rice knocked her fiancé unconscious, Greg Hardy was arrested for assaulting and threatening an ex-girlfriend. Defendant officers said there was “probable reason to believe.” allegations which included “throwing [the victim] into the bathtub, hitting her on the futon and strangling her. ‘

In mid-July 2014, two months after his initial arrest, Hardy was found guilty of assault and threats, which earned him an 18-month suspended sentence. Hardy appealed the decision to a jury, where his sentence was eventually overturned after the victim failed to appear in court.

Meanwhile Hardy was placed on commissioner’s list of released while the league investigated. Although he was not allowed to participate in team events, he was still allowed to collect weekly payouts of $ 13.1 million in deductibles.

Initially, the league concluded that they had “sufficient solid evidence” to suspend 10 of Hardy’s games because he acted in violation of the Privacy Policy. However, en arbitrator eventually reduced the ban to four games on the grounds that “ten games is just too … an increase over previous cases without notice,” citing a six-game deferral set last season.

Hardy’s case is often different from Rice’s case in that they took place in the same off-season, but with quite different results. The charges were completely dropped from Hardy’s record on November 5, 2015, the day before Dead back published photos of abuses. He also returned to the field for another season, starting in all 12 games for the Dallas Cowboys after serving a four-game suspension.

Resolution: Suspended 10 games, but later reduced to four games for assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend