1. Were you especially surprised or shocked by this news story?
Initially, I was surprised by the news story, especially in terms of the National Football League’s reported policy of encouraging privacy and confidentiality in handling domestic abuse cases . The fact that the NFL discouraged reporting domestic abuse incidences to the proper law enforcement authorities indicated the preference to conceal abusive behavior and restricts victims of abuse to seek legal sanctions using the lawful protocols and venues. As such, the N.F.L.’s policies and code of discipline apparently violate ethical, moral, and legal standards since reporting abusive behavior, which apparently disrupts the close-knit culture of the organization, counters the law on retaliation by employers.
2. Can you think of one concrete recommendation you would make to the NFL and its teams for each of the five RDCAR steps to effectively deal with the issue of spousal abuse and its aftermaths in the NFL?
Using the Recognition, Discovery, Cognition, Action, and Reflection (RDCAR) phases for managing business ethics, the N.F.L. should deal with the issue of spousal abuse in a more ethical and moral manner subject to legal standards. One concrete recommendation would be to revise the organization’s code of ethics and discipline to accommodate and encourage addressing domestic abuse in the most ethical manner. A policy that encourages reporting of abuse in the proper legal avenues upon recognition and discovery would also assist in ultimately preventing abusive behavior due to the need to ensure that professionalism and proper conduct of players should be observed at all times – including spousal relationships. During the cognition phase, abusers and victims recognize that abuse and disruptive behavior exists. In the action phase,
spouses and players are encouraged to report and seek legal avenues to address domestic abuse. Advising the team players and their spouses to keep the matter secret and private would initially protect the players from negative image that an abusive behavior could create; yet it would not help prevent abusive behavior from happening in the future. Likewise, keeping silent would not protect the safety and welfare of the wife (victims of abuse). Finally, players who are exposed to negative image when spouse reports domestic abuse should be prepared to accept legal sanctions. It is up to the N.F.L. to communicate the appropriate sanctions to their players depending on the scope and intensity of the abusive behavior. Upon reflection, being honest and transparent would help improve the image of the N.F.L. and assist spouses in addressing issues of domestic abuse in the most effective and legal manner.
Reference
Eder, S. (2014, November 17). N.F.L. Was Family, Until Wives Reported Domestic Abuse. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/sports/wives-in-domestic-abuse-cases-say-nfl-culture-made-them-feel-trapped.html?ref=sports&_r=2
