This week in the NFL has been insane. First, Ray Rice has a video that appears and is absolutely brutal to witness. The NFL clearly did not make his initial punishment based on what we, the general public saw this past Monday. Do I agree with the next step in Ray Rices next step in the punishment prices? Yes. Hands down. Ask the Ray Rice was prior to the release of that video has been torn down and now an image of domestic abuse has appeared. From what I saw, his them girlfriend now wife looks lucky to be alive. Should Ray Rice be allowed to play on the NFL again? I really don’t know. Maybe when the news does down and time has gone by. My stance right now is simply to ban him from the NFL for life. A statement needs to be made to prevent ant future larger than life athletes from repeating this incident in the future.
Now on to my second and final topic today. Adrian Peterson beating his son. I just saw the pictures for the first time this morning and will admit that they look terrible. I have no idea what his son did to warrant this “whipping” but the bruises and whelps are tough to look at. Before I go further let me state that I was born in the early 70’s. I was raised with spankings. Actually I was raised with beatings. My parents wanted me to become something other than a street thug or someone rotting in jail for life. Did I have bruises and whelps? Yes I did. I have memories of these life lessons buried in my mind that still make me remember why I got the spanking to begin with. My parents cared. I reviewed Proverbs 13:24- He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. Written long ago in the greatest Book of all time. I try to raise both of my kids to do the right things. I admit that i have spanked them. Nothing like the spankings i received written was younger but i have spanked them. I also find myself going to my room one I finished, tearing up, not because of what i just did, because of not knowing what the future brings for my kids and what lessons they will take to heart as they grow older. I will go out on a limb and say maybe Adrian Peterson took it a little to far. Those photos are disturbing. I wish I knew whole story. Who knows? Maybe AP is a monster. I would find it hard to believe but it is possible. I have always thought of AP as a roll model athlete. No there is a cloud of disbelief that surrounds him. I hope to see him bounce back but this will haunt him for the rest of his playing days.
It’s really sad that in this week two of the NFL, these are the discussions that are most popular.
As a highlight I want to briefly touch on something great that did happen in the NFL this week. The Cincinnati Bengals web store crashed. Why is this great or important? The reason the team web store crashed was because of the story line of defensive player Devon Still and the life struggle of his daughter. The Bengals announced that all proceeds from the sales of Stills jersey will benefit pediatric cancer research. As of Friday the jersey has made $400,000. This story brings tears to my eyes as I type it. It is a feel good story that is being over shadowed by the events in the NFL that I described above. The whole Devon Still story is amazing in itself and what the Cincinnati Bengals did for him is nothing less than amazing. As a diehard Steelers fan, this story makes me respect, appreciate, and pull for the Bengals. I will buy Devon Stills jersey and wear it proudly. I will also pray for his daughter in these tough times. I recommend that you do the same. Please take the time to search and read about Devon Still. It will change the way you look at things in your life.
http://proshop.bengals.com/Devon-Still-game-jersey-468948-fs-blk-2/
Thoughts of the Day 