NFL's harsher penalties on domestic abusers a 'positive first step'

Anti-domestic violence campaigners have welcomed a decision by the National Football League (NFL) to impose harsher penalties on  players found to have assaulted a partner, calling the policy shift a long-overdue “first step.”

The new rules governing the conduct of footballers was made public Thursday, and follows complaint by fans, advocacy groups and politicians over the league’s apparently light two-game suspension of Ravens running back Ray Rice after he was charged by police for assaulting his fiancé.

As outlined by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a letter to team owners on Thursday, the tougher penalties would include a six week ban for a first offense and at least a year for a second.

Responding Friday to the new policy, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence executive director Ruth Glenn called the move a “positive first step.”

"It's a very encouraging move. We'll have to watch and see how these policies change the practice and culture overtime," Glenn told Al Jazeera. "We have turned a blind eye long enough to players committing those offenses as well as those who watch and don’t report the incidents."

While Goodell’s letter did not single out Rice by name, it made clear references to the Baltimore player who was charged with assault after being caught on video dragging his then-fiancée out of a casino elevator.

"My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families. I take responsibility both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values," Goodell wrote. "I didn't get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will."

Since January 2000, 77 players have been involved in 85 domestic violence incidents with six being cut by their teams, according to USA Today's NFL Arrests Database. The NFL suspended six players for one game each, and Rice was the second player to be suspended for two games.

Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy was convicted in July of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and has appealed for a jury trial set for November. His league punishment has not been announced. Goodell's letter doesn't state clearly how the league will handle pending cases and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email, "Each case will be addressed individually on its merits."

Outrage over Rice's punishment prompted three members of Congress to write to the commissioner asking him to reconsider Rice's suspension; the governor of Maine also threatened to boycott the league, and numerous groups that advocate for women and families condemned the penalty as too lenient.

The commissioner told teams to distribute his memo to all players and to post it in locker rooms. It reads in part: "Domestic violence and sexual assault are wrong. They are illegal. They are never acceptable and have no place in the NFL under any circumstances."

The memo says that violations of the league's personal conduct policy "regarding assault, battery, domestic violence and sexual assault that involve physical force will be subject to enhanced discipline."

The NFL Players Association said it had been informed of the increased punishments.

"As we do in all disciplinary matters, if we believe that players' due process rights are infringed upon during the course of discipline, we will assert and defend our members' rights," the union statement said.

The personal conduct policy is not subject to collective bargaining with the players' union, and the commissioner has leeway to impose punishments for such off-field violations. Goodell's statement also did not stipulate whether the commissioner would act before a player is formally charged.

"We particularly applaud your decision to impose tougher penalties, and to give serious consideration to circumstances that may warrant even harsher consequences," said Esta Soler, chief executive of the advocacy group "Futures Without Violence," who met last week with Goodell.

"We know that this is not an issue that can be addressed overnight, and intimate partner violence will not be eliminated by tougher game penalties alone," the statement continued. Goodell promised more training and education for staff and players.

An initial domestic violence offense will draw a six-week ban without pay, although the memo says "more severe discipline will be imposed if there are aggravating circumstances such as the presence or use of a weapon, choking, repeated striking, or when the act is committed against a pregnant woman or in the presence of a child."

A second offense will result in banishment from the league, but a player will be allowed to petition for reinstatement after a year.

"There is no assurance that the petition will be granted," the memo says.

Goodell's letter notes other steps the league will take to "strengthen our policies on domestic violence and sexual assault," including efforts to educate all NFL employees on the subject.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press