Are Athletes Like Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson Getting a Free Pass to Keep Abusing?

Jim Clemente joins crime journalist Isla Traquair to examine the latest evidence of alleged abuse involving two NFL players - Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson - and the pair discusses whether the sports stars are receiving special treatment compared to others in the general population.

Peterson was suspended by the NFL, but has been allowed to play after acknowledging that he disciplined his 4-year-old son with a stick. He also issued a public apology for the hurt he caused his son, but emphasized that he is no child abuser.

“It is interesting though to see how the team actually handled it and the General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings, Rick Spielman, actually released a statement and I think it’s quite interesting what he says,” said Traquair, referring to Spielman saying the decision to keep Peterson in play stemmed from “knowing him as a person and what he’s done for the community.”

The NFL decided to let Peterson continue to play football “while the legal process plays out.”

Traquair points out that Peterson’s own apology includes use of the word discipline as an excuse for his behavior. “I think we should take a moral stance on that. They (NFL) are saying they want to leave it to the legal system, but I think that’s panning off, you know not taking responsibility.”

Clemente criticizes the NFL’s lack of immediate action against Peterson. “When you actually cause a physical injury, that’s an assault,” he said. “Why are we allowing this to happen to children.”

It’s pointed out that while no state in the U.S. has laws preventing corporal punishment in the home, many states do prohibit the practice in schools, meaning the education system does view it as a form of abuse.

“I think in a way that the NFL is almost saying that by allowing him to continue playing, they think it’s okay,” Traquair said. “I know they’re leaving it up to the justice system to deal with it properly, but I think they should take more of a stance.”

The panel also takes up the case of Ray Rice, the Baltimore Ravens running back who is currently under an indefinite suspension by the NFL after two videotapes became public of a violent confrontation he had with his now-wife in a casino elevator.

After the first video went public - showing the aftermath of the elevator incident but not the actual abuse - the NFL doled out a slap on the wrist to Rice as punishment, a two-game suspension. It wasn’t until the second, more graphic tape came out that the NFL came down harder on Rice.

After the pair reviews the videotape, Clemente declares that Rice’s actions still show an utter lack of respect and disregard for his then-girlfriend’s well-being. “He is somewhat culpable,” for just dragging and kicking her, rather than getting some help for her, he said.

“What injuries were sustained? We don’t really know yet. When you have traumatic brain injuries, sometimes it takes weeks or months or years to show itself,” he added. “That itself, the loss of consciousness, should be seen as an injury,” Clemente said.

“There’s absolute proof that he did that. He was in the elevator, he admitted that to them, eventually at least. And yet their reaction was a two-game suspension in the beginning.”

In the Oscar Pistorius case, Traquair said the debate around the verdict clearly centers around the judge. “There is surprise, obviously of the fact that she acquitted him of murder, and found him guilty for the lesser charge of culpable homicide.”

She explains that Pistorius was found by the judge to be negligent in his actions, but with no clear intent to murder. “He could receive 15 years, or the judge could delay that or just fine him. Technically, he could be out performing again as a paralympian.”

Traquair also points out that in that decision, many people felt the judge was focusing too much on the couple’s relationship, which did not have a known history of abuse. In fact, she says Pistorius could actually have been found guilty of murder even if the victim had been a complete stranger, based on the circumstances and evidence in the case.

The pair also looks into the case of Joseph Oberhansley, who is accused of killing his girlfriend, Tammy Jo Blanton, and then eating parts of her brain and other body parts.

The question is taken up whether police did enough to stop the murder, since Oberhansley had a 2000 conviction for manslaughter in the death of another girlfriend, and because he was out on bail when he showed up at Blanton’s home at 3 a.m. the morning of the murder and had asked police to have him removed.

“She called police to complain that he was trying to get into her house at 3 a.m.,” Clemente said. “The thing is, he’s on bail and they tell him to go home - they don’t arrest him. Isn’t that a violation of his bail conditions?”

“He was out on bail on a driving charge,” Traquair adds. “So say he had been caught drink driving, maybe they would have taken him and put him in a cell. Because this was a second incident… they weren’t looking at the background.”

Clemente counters, “But the thing is, he is out on bail - that’s the important thing, obviously he’s broken the law.”

Watch the full interview to also hear about the case of Chante Gilman, a 28-year-old woman accused of breaking into the home of a Seattle man and raping him, plus an update on Jodi Arias, who now seems to be backing away from a decision to represent herself in the sentencing phase of her trial.