"There's somethings you can cover up and there's others you cant, this statement was made on national television by one of the greatest NFL players to be brought up in a debate about criminal offences. Former Baltimore Raven linebacker and Future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis made this statement on ESPN’s Sunday Night Countdown. In my opinion many stars and athletes believe that they are above the law. I would go as far as saying that most of these beliefs stream from NFL players; some people describe it as an ideology. Following Superbowl XXXIV on January 30th, 2000 while celebrating a St. Louis Rams, Ray Lewis and a few friends ended up at the Cobalt Lounge, in downtown Atlanta. Later on in the night, Ray Lewis and a few friends got into an altercation outside the nightclub. The aftermath of the fight lead to two men brutally stabbed and murdered in cold blood. Following an investigation by the Atlanta police department, Ray Lewis, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, were all indicted on averaged assault and murder charges.
The controversial part about the whole investigation was that the white suit allegedly covered in blood worn by Ray Lewis on that night was never recovered. Ed Garland one of Ray Lewis’s attorney was asked in an interview conducted by CNN where the white suit is? And his response nonetheless surprising “It went to the cleaners, and was in his closet and the prosecution didn’t do what they needed to retain the suits”.
As
my main example, this is why I do believe that NFL players are believed to be
above the law. Not only do they see it that way but so do the people who are prosecuting
them. You could argue that there are some NFL players in jail such as OJ Simpson and Aaron Hernandez. This is true, but what do both those cases have in
common? In both murder cases DNA was found in the victims, as well as in the
case of Hernandez where his home security tape was destroyed and clothing worn
during the time and night of the murder were found. I believe that yes many NFL
players now a days are being arrested, however they are rarely charged with
anything this goes to show that what should be done isn’t being done. Out of
the four major sports in the USA, the National Basketball Association, the
National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and the National Football League,
the NFL tops that list in number of arrests. The NFL tops the list since the
start of 2014, with 49 arrests which is 33 more then the NBA which next on the
list.
Just
to go back to the Ray Lewis example, if it were you or me who was wearing that
white suit allegedly covered in blood that suit would have been found. That
piece of clothing would have most likely gotten the prosecutor the conviction
he/she was searching for. NFL players are not only the bourgeoisies to us
proletariats but they also have socioeconomic power over us. I believe that
they are the bourgeoisies since they are the ones who have the name on the back
of the shirts that we are buying. Every Sunday millions of Canadian’s and even
more American’s tune into watch their favorite NFL teams play. To young
aspiring football players these men who play their hearts out every week are
role models. Due to this, it is key that the aggression they have on the field makes
them key players that must stay on the field. Other then a DUI, aggravated
assault and domestic violence are the most common arrests by NFL players.
This
socioeconomic power they have over us keeps us from saying anything. For
example in the case of Ray Rice, the running back who beat his wife was
arrested but was never convicted. In this case she is taking the blame. I
believe that it has to due with his annual income. She is taking the blame and
not pressing charges to allow him to maintain his job as an NFL running making
upwards of 7 figures a year. They also have social power over us because we as
viewers are tuning into watch them play and finding out what they do off the
field. They also have knowledge power, which is what empowers us all. As the young
look up to them playing, and aspire to be like them just shows that they know
what to do on the field. However their actions off the field are a completely
different story.
Once again I
believe that the socioeconomic power they hold over us allows them to believe
that they are able to do what they want. They believe that the NFLPA, which is
the National Football League Players Association, will back them no matter
what. People may say that the NFL arrest rate is under the national average. I
completely agree however these individuals getting paid to perform at the
highest level are viewed as role models.
