NFL funding domestic violence hotline, mandating player education
Roger Goodell's memo machine is at work again Friday, as the NFL continues to take steps towards improviwng its approach to domestic violence. This time the NFL Commissioner sent a letter to the teams and staff to announce "significant steps" the NFL is taking to "help people affected by domestic violence and sexual assault."
Specifically the league is entering into "long-term partnerships to provide financial, operational and promotional support" to both The National Domestic Violence Hotine and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Goodell noted "that recent events" created a spike in calls for "The Hotline," many of which were unanswered.
"It was brought to our attention that recent events caused The National Domestic Violence Hotline to receive 84 percent more calls during the week of September 8 – 15," Goodell writes. "According to the organization, more than 50 percent of those calls went unanswered due to lack of staff. That must not continue."
Essentially, the NFL is helping to fund staffing and training for The Hotline, while also working to service 24-hour chats for young adults through Loveisrespect.
"The NFL and The Hotline have initiated an immediate process to make services available by adding expert advocates, training and other resources to respond to the increased volume of calls," Goodell wrote. "The Hotline will add 25 full-time advocates over the next few weeks that will result in an additional 750 calls a day being answered."
Additionally, the NFL will mandate "education programs" on both domestic violence and sexual assault beginning in the next month.
"We are also proceeding to implement broad educational programs within our league," Goodell wrote. "Starting within the next 30 days, all league and team personnel -- including executives, coaches, players and staff -- will participate in education sessions on domestic violence and sexual assault."
The league is under fire from the public, media and even the White House (telling the NFL to "get a handle" on the issue early Friday). These are necessary steps to begin and try to repair a broken image for the league.
More importantly: the league is helping to fund what looks like several worthwhile causes for the support of people suffering as a result of domestic violence.
It's not a solution. But it's a start.
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