NFL VP Adolpho Birch said Monday that Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens received an appropriate suspension from the league when it was announced that he will miss two games because a domestic violence incident involving his wife in February before they were married.
The explanation by Birch, senior vice president of labor policy and government affairs for the NFL, satisfied few, if any, who say that the punishment was too lenient,
according to the Washington Post.
"I think if you are any player and you think that based on this decision that it's okay to go out and commit that kind of conduct, I think that is something that I would suggest to you that no player is going to go out and do that,"
Birch said on a radio show simulcast on ESPN2.
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"So in terms of sending a message about what the league stands for, we've done that," said Birch. "But if it is a question about what the principle of the league is and what standards we stand by, that cannot be questioned. I think it is absolutely clear to all involved that the NFL does not condone domestic violence in any way and will not tolerate it in our league. I don't know how you can reach a conclusion other than that although I certainly respect the opinion."
Birch's comments on the show did not stop the stream of negative posts on social media about the Rice decision.
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