Aaron Hernandez Case Study

Many people believe that professional athletes are “above the law”. In reality, they are human beings like you and me who, no matter what the circumstances, can and will be charged like an average person. The offense of the crime can certainly come into play on whether or not a professional athlete who commits a crime should be allowed to play again.

The spectator of this sport has an obligation to the players of the sport, to make sure that the organization is protecting and looking out for them. Yet not only should the viewer be held accountable for the lack of communication in consequences between the player and the pro scene, but the organization of the NFL needs to make sure that their players have a full understanding of what is going on and how they need to protect the players. The current situation that is understood, contents contain implied knowledge that all parties of this table are in uniform knowledge and agreement to what comes of playing football. Finally, this should also happen at the youth level when kids are just getting into the sport, as it would better inform the parents and the kid if they understood the full

The NFL has decided not to directly address the mental health problems of current and former players in fear of negative publicity and financial consequences league wide. Also, they have not compensated players for their injuries or put in enough time or effort to improve the conditions for players. These things are deemed unethical, because in a sense by being injured, these players are being stripped of their freedom to do things the way that they want. Also, the NFL is putting the greed for money over the health and well being of the community.

If any of these player safety rules have been broken recently, the NFL has come down swiftly and harshly against the culprits. These swift and efficient actions performed by the NFL have taken notice by the parents and fans of the sport. These forms of punishments come through fines, suspensions, and in extreme cases bans from the league for years or even indefinitely. Recently a defensive coordinator on the New Orleans Saints was found to have installed a “bounty program” on his defense. This program would fund the defensive players with bonuses for various actions in a game. Although this may seem okay, it is actually highly illegal in the NFL. This bounty program would fund the players for knocking out other athletes they were competing against. Injuring players was one of many forms of bonuses that players would be able to accrue. The problem with this in sports is because football is already violent enough. Now teams are actually “gunning” to injure others on purpose. The NFL’s quick and extreme punishments for the creation and participation in this bounty case definitely put the player’s safety aspect into the mainstream of what the NFL is worrying about these days.

In the article, "Aaron Hernandez Saga Won't Change How NFL Sees Players", Albert Breer talks about how former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found dead, hanging from his bed sheets in his prison cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts on Wednesday morning. Hernandez played for the New England Patriots as a tight end from two thousand and ten to two thousand and twelve. Hernandez was arrested after being convicted of murder in 2013. Investigators say that the murder that took a toll on Hernandez's career was gang related. NFL coaches are saying that this incident with Hernandez will change how the coaches view their players. As the NFL draft approaches, coaches are going to have to put a lot of thought on who they decide to draft this year. Coaches are saying that they must also pay close attention to the personalities and backgrounds of who they should choose. Talent isn't the only attribute to choosing a professional athlete. The character that the players have is also a huge factor on which team they

“Despite its knowledge and controlling role in governing player conduct on and off the field, the NFL turned a blind eye to the risk and failed to warn and or impose safety regulations governing this well-recognized health and safety problem.” (“Lawsuit”).

In Dylan Bennett's article, The NFL Drugs policy came into effect in 1971 but it was not really in forced. Until 1989 when Regan had the "war on drugs" going on. This NFL Drugs policy has a strict no drug policy and it still used in today's NFL. The NFL's policy for drugs is that if a player has 35 NG/ML in his system which to the NFL is contact high there are punished. For the first time an athlete fails a drug test in the NFL they are "referred to the league's abuse program" (8). And that is stage one of the NFL's drug policy. The second stage leads to a two-game fine of the players pay, and then a four-game suspension of the player's pay. In the second stage is a two-game suspension, then it increases to a four-game suspension, and if the

After DeLuna’s trial, prosecutors told the jury that police had looked for Carlos Hernandez but said he was not a real person, and had been a fabrication made up by DeLuna. However, four years after DeLuna was executed, a private investigator was hired to look for a trace of Hernandez. After just one day of investigating, it was found that Carlos Hernandez was indeed a real person, and not just a fabrication. Hernandez was an alcoholic and always carried around a certain type of knife; a buck knife. Throughout his life he was arrested thirty-nine times, thirteen times for carrying a knife and had been on parole for most of his life. Hernandez was also known for his violence against women. In 1979, he was arrested twice, on the suspicion that he stabbed Dahlia Sauceda and carved an “X” into her back. Hernandez was arrested 4 years before DeLuna and once again while DeLuna was on death row. To continue, only two months before DeLuna was put to death, Hernandez was sentenced to ten years in jail for attempting to kill a woman named Dina Ybanez, with a knife. Still, not one person thought to alert the state of Texas, of this

Many fans also believed that the six - game suspension was much too harsh, since there are only sixteen games in an NFL season, and the witnesses had not backed up the woman’s claims. However, investigators confirmed that the images of the woman’s injuries were consistent with her story, and also looked into another incident involving Elliott: this March during a St. Patrick’s Day parade, he pulled a woman’s top down, prompting the NFL to send Elliott a letter, reprimanding him and saying he showed a lack of respect for women. Clearly, Elliott has a history of improper and inappropriate behavior. The NFL really wanted to have all the facts on this case due to criticism of the handling of previous domestic violence cases. For example, in 2015 former Giants kicker Josh Brown was arrested for a misdemeanor domestic violence charge and was only suspended for one game. However, it was later discovered that Brown had sorrowfully admitted in journals and letters to friends and family how he had abused his wife, who had previously refused to speak with NFL officials. Due to this lack of initial evidence, the NFL had been heavily criticized for giving a quick one - game

The NFl is a place where fans can go and forget about their worries but, the NFL has now been corrupted with political opinion and many fans are unhappy about it. The recent stunt is proving nothing to change the causes that is” supposedly” trying to stop. In the blog “Now I have had enough” by Brandon

When you display domestic violence in the public eye you not only damage your image, but the image of the NFL. It is embarrassing to the league when a team player is not acting professional at all times. They are always representing their team, even off the field. He also should be a role model to the younger kids who may look up to him. He was not punished enough for his

The National Football League (NFL) team Dallas Cowboys signed Greg Hardy to a one year contract knowing that he violated the NFL Personal Conduct Policy. Hardy was charged, and found guilty by a judge, of domestic violence because he physically assaulted and threatened his ex-girlfriend. A jury dismissed the charges because the victim could not be found so they could not proceed with the case.

Michael Vick shouldn’t be allowed back in the NFL because of his crimes including dog fighting. The article I read said “ The people running the NFL don’t care about animals, second chances, or doing the right thing.” This shows that the NFL just wants to give themselves a brighter image. The article also said “During his “60 Minutes” interview, Vick seemed remorseful about having gotten caught, rather than remorse for what he actually did.” This showed that Michael Vick was only sorry that he got caught instead of what he did. The final thing the article said “He doesn’t belong back in the NFL. As an abuser of innocent creatures who just want to be our friends, this man doesn’t deserve to be in a position to make millions of dollars again.”

Athletes in the NFL have a right just as everyone else. Human rights say that we have the right to protest. This can’t simply be forgotten with an athlete. Athletes should have all the rights that we have when on the field. The right to protest is something that an American citizen has the permission to use freely, and this is something others must respect instead of looking down upon.

Dog fighting, assault, rape, murder, DUI charges none of these made us stop watching the NFL but a peaceful protest is where we draw the line? Apparently doing a silent protest is enough means to get you terminated from a career you’ve worked hard and diligently and come so far for. Kapernick was the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem in protest. This all started during the preseason game for the 49ers. Kapernick has spoken openly about his support for people of color for being oppressed and to take a stand against police brutality. So, it’s ok to let rapists and murderers into the NFL but people are “offended” by NFL players taking a knee? It’s been more than 200 days of him being unemployed by the NFL just because he wanted to use his platform to broadcast his voice and position. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kapernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." Many people don’t realize this but …. it’s HIS freedom of speech this is everyone’s constitutional right. Have we realized that once people of color exercise their constitutional right to protest by kneeling peacefully we always get backlash for it? It’s always like “Oh