ESPN’s Hannah Storm questioned what the term “zero tolerance” means to the NFL and what the league truly stands for in the wake of the Ray Rice case
As Business Insider reports: “Storm hosted a special one-hour episode of “SportsCenter” called “The State of the NFL” and discussed how the league is dealing with domestic abuse in the wake of the Ray Rice case.”
Business Insider goes on to explain that “Storm closed the show with a powerful and emotional monologue on how she has dealt with the issue over the past week as a lifelong fan and a mother of three girls, nearly being brought to tears. She also wonders whether the NFL will use its power to make a difference.”
During the monologue, Storm told the story of how she explained the NFL crisis to her daughters:
“On Monday morning I was genuinely excited to come to work and break down what I thought was a fascinating first weekend in the NFL. Instead I kicked off ESPN’s coverage of the horrific Ray Rice elevator video. Meanwhile, one of my daughters has her first fantasy football team this season, but at breakfast this week, instead of discussing how her team was doing, we watched the Ray Rice video play out again in all its ugliness.
I spent this week answering seemingly impossible questions about the league’s biggest stars. ‘Mom, why did he do that? Why isn’t he in jail? Why didn’t he get fired?’”
After pointing out her daughter’s questions regarding the NFL, Storm moved on to some of her own questions:
“What does all of this mean for the future? What does it mean for female fans, whose dollars are so coveted by the NFL, who make up an estimated 45 percent of the NFL’s fan base? Are fans and are families, are we as parents supposed to compartmentalize everything that’s happening? Are we supposed to simply separate a violent game on the field from violent acts off the field? And if we do, what message does that send?”
As Huffington Post reported: “Storm chastised the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens for needing to see the video of Rice punching his then-fiancee and now wife in the face in a casino elevator, released on Monday by TMZ, before taking action. At the end of the segment, Storm started to question what ‘zero tolerance’ means to everyone involved in the NFL, from coaches and the players’ union to owners and general managers.”
Storm concluded her monologue with the following statement:
“In the NFL, apparently seeing is believing. If the NFL and the Ravens had to see that video to be moved to significant action, then shouldn’t those who support the league demand the same? To see action? To see change before believing, as we all wait on the answer to the central question: what exactly does the NFL stand for?”
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