Athletes in the National Football League are struggling to leave their aggression on the field and out of the household. This year in the NFL, we have seen some great football, but the league still faces a controversy that could define a new era of the National Football league; domestic violence and abuse. This year alone, we have seen two of the league’s best running backs arrested and suspended from the league for domestic abuse.

Although these two iconic players, Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, have both been punished up to par with or stricter than the league’s current policy, the commissioner Roger Goodell has taken a lot of criticism recently with regards to how he has handled the situation. 12 players with charges pending on domestic violence cases still suit up every Sunday and Roger Goodell has taken little to no action to help prevent further instances like this from happening again. Goodell even went so far as withholding evidence given to him, including a video of Ray Rice punching his fiance in the face and knocking her out, then only suspended Rice for two games. The two game suspension was changed to an indefinite suspension from the league once the video of Rice abusing his girlfriend went public. However, in the past few days, Rice’s suspension was lifted due to a ruling that declared the ban Goodell had imposed on Rice unwarranted and too severe. This is because the league’s policy is to suspend players for six games for a first time domestic abuse violation and Rice has already served more than that. Adrian Peterson is currently serving an indefinite suspension that will end his 2014 football season.

What is the reason for this sudden increase in domestic abuse? One theory is that players have simply been getting away with this because we give star athletes special treatment and the victims of these horrible crimes are just now gaining the courage to speak up. Another concern is possible brain trauma arising from these players playing a physically tolling game almost their entire lives. Concussions are a prominent problem in football today, with many doctors finding evidence of permanent brain damage in players who have sustained one or more concussions. In certain cases, even players who were never diagnosed with a concussion have been found with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which can lead to drastic changes in personalities and often times leads to violence. Last fall, tragedy struck in Kansas City as well as around the league when starting linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend before taking his own life. He left behind a three month old daughter. The autopsy revealed signs of CTE and doctors believe this could be one of many causes for the incident that occurred. Junior Seau, a future hall of famer and ten time all-pro linebacker for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots took his own life in May of 2012. Doctors confirmed that Seau also suffered from CTE, if this had been found before his death, Seau would have been able to improve his condition. There are treatments that minimize the burdens of depression and other symptoms of CTE. However, this disorder is no excuse for the violence that often goes along with it, and the NFL needs to find a way to prevent or reduce the amount of concussions sustained by players in the NFL.

Another possible reason for the large amount of domestic abuse and violence case in the NFL is that this aggressive behavior that is scolded off the field, is praised and rewarded on the field. Ray Rice was known for being a particularly physical runner, who welcomed contact and would make his opponents pay for trying to stop him. Carolina Panther defensive end Greg Hardy also faces charges for domestic abuse, another player who loves to physically punish his opponents on the field. Greg Hardy was no gentle giant on the field, he would consistently be penalized for being overly aggressive, however he was commended by coaches and teammates for this style of play.

There is nothing more American than football and the NFL has no trouble getting fans to cheer on their favorite team every Sunday, but the recent conduct of their players could leave the league’s reputation tarnished. In order to maintain their place as the nation’s most watched sport, the NFL must figure out a way to decrease the amount of violent acts committed by their employees.