PORT WING… There has been a saying that NFL stands for “National Felons League.” And to an extent, there is some truth to that, excepting that for an extended time frame most of its athletes have never been subjected to the same punishments the average citizen receives when accused and convicted of similar offenses. No matter the offense, the offenders, the league, and their fleet of lawyers usually succeeded in tamping down any real punishment. For certain there is the embarrassment the offender must endure, be it a charge of drunken driving, simple narcotic possession, fighting in clubs, and on and on.

But in a great deal of these cases, the offender usually got off with the proverbial slap on the wrist, laid low for an appropriate amount of time, and then life went on. Even with some of the more egregious cases, this seemed to be the norm. You know, was Ray Lewis just an innocent bystander when two men forfeited their lives in a club fight? I don’t know, but the court system said he was, and that was that. With the electronic media explosion of the past few years coupled with the sheer volume of personal electronic devices in use today, how would that situation have unfolded if it had happened today? I don’t know the answer to that either. When the clothing that Lewis was wearing that night “disappeared,” so did law enforcement’s possible case against him. But that was yesteryear.

So is the behavior of some of the league’s employees. There are some in the league whose behavior is still reverting back to some of the most primitive forms of human conduct and how to handle conflict between humans. By now we are all aware of the domestic violence case against former Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice and how that is playing out. The mishandling of this matter has also put the league under a very uncomfortable spotlight, and Commissioner Roger Goodell is feeling the heat.

After a league review, Rice received a two-game suspension. There was a public outcry about light punishment and that perhaps the league didn’t take domestic violence matters seriously enough. Then another, longer video clip emerged that graphically showed what happened that night. The public outcry went viral, the league stepped in and suspended Rice “indefinitely,” and the Ravens then cut him from their roster. Many are calling for Goodell’s ouster.
 
With many questions about what Goodell knew and when he knew it, I could see a case for his dismissal. But Roger was just doing what the league has been doing for decades. He has been riding along in the old NFL golf cart smiling and waving and counting the fans’ money in the league’s bloated bank accounts, and then once in a while the cart hits a bump but just keeps right on going. Sometimes it hits a really big bump and Roger actually levitates out of the seat for a few moments, but then he usually lands right back where he was sitting and all reverts back to “NFL normal.” Whatever that is.

Last Friday, the NFL burning ring of fire came to Minneapolis. It has been revealed that Minnesota Vikings star player Adrian Peterson was about to be indicted on a charge of child abuse for striking his four-year-old son with a “switch” fashioned from a tree branch. The blows left welts and bruises on the child, and a subsequent doctor visit resulted in law agencies being informed. Peterson hasn’t denied the allegations, stating that that was the way he was disciplined as a child growing up in East Texas. He has thus far cooperated with the police investigation.

My best friend and I frequently discuss human behavior (ours included) and how a great deal of it is learned behavior from influencing forces within our lives, especially in regard to what kind of environment we grew up in. Certainly when I was a kid, spanking was an accepted form of “behavioral correction” and was even used in public and private schools on students. At some point the value of that was questioned, and it was phased out of schools by parents who stood up to its use, while others say that its absence has led to our current societal demise and behavioral depravity.

Personally, I grew to question its real value as a teaching tool or influence upon kids. Having lived life and having been in sports, I am fully aware of the “fear” as a motivator factor. But even in sports today, I believe most sports psychologists would tell you that fear is probably a poor motivator. I also tend to believe that kids who grew up with that kind of discipline in their home may have grown up to resent the person who handed it out.

In the Peterson case, photos of the young boy’s injuries are repulsive, to say the least. Why would you do this to a four-year-old child, or anyone in your family for that matter? It gets back to familial conditioning. Peterson’s statements would lead you to believe that he didn’t think what he was doing may have been the wrong way to go. The team deactivated Peterson for yesterday’s game versus the Patriots. The Vikes lost 30-7. If he had played, I don’t think the outcome would have changed.

This morning the Vikings’ brass debated and concluded to reinstate him while the legal process endures. This decision will get debated ad nauseam over the next few days, and I will pass on that debate for the time being. It will be interesting to see how the NFL handles this, for there is no room left under their carpet anymore for them to sweep this stuff away. In fact, that thing is so lumpy you can’t even vacuum it anymore…

1980 MIRACLE TEAM MEMBER Bob Suter passed away suddenly last week, the first playing member of that team to do so. He was 57 and also the father of Minnesota Wild star Ryan Suter. I remember him vividly as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers and saw him play many times. At 5’9” and a buck eighty, he wasn’t the biggest guy out there, but if you were in his space he would pop you and you would remember it. Great skater as well. My condolences to his family and friends. I know he is in hockey heaven and that Herbie is giving him the berries for being from Wisconny… PEACE

Marc Elliott is a sports opinion writer who splits his time between Minnesota and his hometown in Illinois.