[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14875]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ANYTHING FOR FOOTBALL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Speier) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, ``anything for football.'' It is a phrase I 
have heard a lot recently, that we should ignore what happens off the 
field for the sake of the sport.
  This creed used to mean something positive. Vince Lombardi, the 
namesake of the Super Bowl trophy, said he viewed his players as 
``neither black nor white, but Packer green.'' ``Anything for 
football'' meant he had to fight racism and homophobia off the field to 
coach the best football team possible.
  Recently, ``anything for football'' has been used to justify an 
organization that perpetuates violence and sexism rather than teamwork, 
family, and sport. Instead of fighting injustice off the field for the 
sake of the sport, the NFL chooses deafening silence. We are told to 
ignore what happens on the sidelines, in disciplinary boardrooms, or 
behind elevator doors, all for the sport. Well, I refuse to ignore what 
is happening.
  The NFL thinks they can play by their own rules. As we saw in the Ray 
Rice case, these decisions go all the way to the top. Commissioner 
Roger Goodell is judge and jury, yet he is also the one who stands to 
profit by seeing these cases hushed and unpunished.
  Since he took over the NFL in 2006, there have been 56 arrests of 
players for domestic violence. The NFL has been inconsistent in its 
response, ranging from counseling, to single game suspensions, to 
conditional fines, to nothing at all.
  After a player is arrested, more often than not they continue to 
play, even if there is clear evidence for their violent crime. When a 
police officer is being investigated for domestic violence, they are 
suspended with pay until the investigation ends. If the NFL is serious 
about zero tolerance, why shouldn't it play by the same rules?
  Of the 56 football players arrested for domestic violence, they only 
saw a combined 13 games suspended. The NFL would rather see these 
players on the field than take a stance against violence. After all, 
``anything for football.'' I say, ``Bench them.''
  Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers was arrested at a party after 
his fiancee, who was 10 weeks pregnant, showed police bruises on her 
neck and arms. He has played the last 2 weeks. Why hasn't he been 
benched? ``Anything for football.'' I am an avid 49er fan, but this is 
disgusting. I expect more from my 49ers.
  Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers was arrested and convicted for 
assaulting his former girlfriend. The woman said Hardy picked her up, 
choked her, threw her on a couch covered in assault rifles and 
shotguns, and bragged to her that they were loaded. He is appealing his 
case and still playing. Why hasn't he been benched? ``Anything for 
football.''
  Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, who was indicted in March with 
assaulting his then-fiancee, has finally received a punishment 
befitting his crime, but only after a video of the actual event was 
released. After he was indicted, his coach, John Harbaugh, said, ``He 
will be part of our team. Support the person without condoning the 
action.'' Why wasn't he benched from the start? ``Anything for 
football.''
  The list goes on and on. Like the military and universities, the NFL 
thinks they can enforce their own justice internally. They have failed. 
The NFL should change their policies so that these players stay on the 
bench while they are investigated.
  This week I will send a letter to Commissioner Goodell and team 
owners, calling on them to immediately change their domestic violence 
policy. When a player is arrested for domestic violence, the NFL should 
immediately suspend the player and continue to pay them until a 
preponderance of the evidence determines their guilt or innocence. This 
suspension should continue until the end of court proceedings, when the 
NFL can then apply its player policy. It is what we do with police 
officers. This is what zero tolerance looks like.
  Two-thirds of all Americans watch the NFL. Let us work together to 
put an end to the NFL's inaction. Lombardi didn't just think we could 
fight racism through football. He said, ``People who work together will 
win, whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems of 
modern society.''
  It may be difficult, but we deserve sports that show the best in our 
society. After all, ``anything for football.''

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