It’s About Accountability

Earlier this afternoon I was involved in an intense Facebook comment thread discussing Ray Rice’s domestic abuse case and the punishment he deserved from the NFL. Later in the afternoon the Baltimore Ravens announced that they had terminated the contract of Rice. In that thread the question of why sports leagues should be able to dole out punishment for actions that take place off the field.

It’s a valid question. Very. In this case specifically it is, Why should the NFL be allowed to suspend Ray Rice for his actions in that hotel elevator?

My answer, accountability.

Ray Rice, like all other professional athletes are paid a lot of money to put on a uniform and perform in front of their team’s fans. They are also public figures, particularly the superstars, who are role models to millions of young fans around the world… whether Charles Barkley likes it or not.

On top of that, these athletes are representatives of team and their league. In and out of uniform they represent their organizations 12 months a year. And they aren’t the only ones who fall under this umbrella.

In December 2013 Justine Sacco sent a tweet from her personal phone, on her personal time, before she left on her personal vacation. You might remember the tweet… Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white! The next day Sacco was fired from her position as Communications Director for “hateful statements”. She was held accountable to the standards of her organization and suffered punishment because of her choices and her actions. Sacco isn’t even famous (other than because of this incident) and she was fired for her racist and offensive tweet.
Almost exactly a month earlier, at City Hall in Toronto, council voted to remove the majority of Mayor Rob Ford’s power in the wake of his crack cocaine and drinking scandal. The police hadn’t charged him with any crimes (and still haven’t, though many people are still waiting to see if it happens) and there was no definitive proof that Ford had used illegal substances or alcohol at City Hall during working hours. However, as THE MAYOR of Toronto he was found not to be living up to his requirements as the leader of the city. He wasn’t portraying the positive image that the city expected. And while some people argued that he did it on his own time and it shouldn’t matter, the fact is that it does matter and that’s why so many Torontonians spoke out and took offense. Hell, before the transfer of power happened I spoke on BBC radio about Ford and the mess he was making in Toronto.

In these 3 cases the NFL/Ravens, IAC, and the City of Toronto all made the decision that the actions of these individuals was detrimental to the organization and the public – and so they were punished outside of any action by law enforcement.

I don’t know if what’s coming next for Rob Ford (re-election, losing the election, criminal charges, relapse, etc.), I don’t know what Justine Sacco is doing now, and I certainly don’t know what is going to happen to Ray Rice. But right now, today, I know that the Baltimore Ravens did the right thing (even if it was late) by holding Rice accountable for his actions and removing him from his position of privilege and power.