In a move that cynics will deride as nothing more than a thinly veiled public relations stunt, and the more optimistic among us will praise as a step in the right direction for a league that hasn't been able to get out of its own way recently, Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday released a memo to the league outlining the NFL's new commitment to education efforts on domestic violence and sexual assault.
The memo, which promises "significant steps" will be taken to educate teams and players via a series of programs, says the NFL has initiated a "long-term commitment to help people affected by domestic violence and sexual assault."
Goodell will be addressing the announcement today at a 3pm news conference.
Apparently, by some seemingly random occurrence, Goodell and the league were recently made aware of the lack of attention and funding which certain domestic violence assistance groups have been forced to operate under, and are now desperately seeking to rectify this egregious wrong.
"It was brought to our attention that recent events caused The National Domestic Violence Hotline to receive 84 percent more calls during the week of September 8 - 15. According to the organization, more than 50 percent of those calls went unanswered due to lack of staff. That must not continue."
To help address this and other critical and immediate needs, we are entering into long-term partnerships to provide financial, operational and promotional support to two of the leading domestic violence and sexual assault resources: The National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). These commitments will enable both The Hotline and NSVRC to help more people affected by domestic violence and sexual assault."
The National Domestic Violence Hotline announced the new "long-term commitment" with the NFL on its website.
"We have never had the funding needed to meet the demand for our services from those seeking help with domestic violence and dating abuse. Last year, because of this lack of resources, more than 77,000 calls went unanswered. Recent domestic violence incidents involving NFL players pushed the capacity of our organization to unprecedented levels," said Katie Ray-Jones, president and CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. "Because of this long-term commitment by the NFL to provide The Hotline with much-needed resources, our services will finally be accessible to all those who need us when they bravely take the first step to find safety and live a life free of abuse."
In the memo, Goodell promises, "broad educational programs" which will start within the next 30 days and involve "all league and team personnel - including executives, coaches, players and staff."
The memo goes on to say that, "initial sessions will begin to provide the men and women of the NFL with information and tools to understand and recognize domestic violence and sexual assault. We will work with the NFL Players Association to develop and present this training in the most effective way.
Building on long established NFL Player Engagement programs and services, this is the first in a new set of educational programs for all personnel being developed in conjunction with our recently appointed senior advisors and other leading experts. More programs dedicated to these issues will be established in the coming months."
Today, clubs around the league are to receive comprehensive information on domestic violence and assault resources within their respective communities.
These are by no means final steps. We will continue to work with experts to expand and develop long -term programs that raise awareness, educate, and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault both within the NFL and in our society in general. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance."
