The story of former Ravens running back Ray Rice and the domestic violence incident with his then-fiancé Janay Palmer, which was caught on surveillance cameras at a casino in Atlantic City, has been in the headlines for months.

Until this past Monday, the picture of what happened was murky at best, as the footage provided by TMZ only showed Rice dragging Palmer out of the elevator that the two were occupying. Then the bombshell hit as TMZ revealed new footage of Rice punching Palmer in the face, knocking her unconscious.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had previously suspended Rice in July for the first two games, which was called into scrutiny by fans and media as too lenient of a punishment for an act so severe. In light of the new video footage, the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely and the Ravens organization terminated his contract.

Another case of domestic violence involving an NFL player was reported last month involving San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray MacDonald. He has yet to see any disciplinary action pending the investigation.

As much as this issue has been put in a bigger public eye due to the popularity of the NFL, it is more than just a sports issue. Domestic violence is a crime of power as it pertains to one partner over the other. The abuser uses fear to control the other partner. Oftentimes the victim of domestic violence will come to the side of the abuser, which is what Palmer has done for Rice.

Most people think of domestic violence as physical abuse but it can also be attributed to emotional, verbal, economic and sexual abuse as well. The damage can range from subtle and coercive to disfigurement and even, in some cases, death.

There is no excuse for this behavior in any form. To Ray Rice, you failed as a fiancé, a husband and as a man. You were supposed to support her, to protect her, to love her and cherish her.

Children who may have idolized you or other NFL players see this trend of behavior and their parents have to explain to them what they have seen you do.

The NFL has now put new rules into place for more severe punishments for those guilty of domestic violence: a six-game suspension for first-time violators and a lifetime ban for the second offense.

Why has it taken the NFL this long to put severe punishments in place? In fact, going back to the video, the NFL claimed that it had not seen the video before. How is this possible when they made the decision of Rice’s original punishment? So let me get this straight, this whole time the NFL never asked the casino if there was more footage to incriminate Rice? Footage which has mysteriously appeared just as the season began?

For an issue on the scale and severity as this one is, how could the NFL have taken this so lightly? It is unacceptable and shady, to say the least. If Goodell doesn’t step down as commissioner of the NFL, he will still carry this as a black mark on his legacy.

Ray Rice failed, and the justice system failed when it let Rice walk back after being arrested in February because of this incident. The Baltimore Ravens failed by not taking action themselves and the NFL failed, and it makes everyone look like a fool.

Smoking marijuana is another issue for this league that the NFL has tiptoed around and that’s one thing, but domestic violence is not something to mess around with. It is a severe issue and will continue to be an issue in the years to come. For a league that has made a conscious marketing effort to expand its audience to a female demographic, this situation makes them look very foolish.

Hopefully, someone will wake up.

Tony Callens can be reached by email at [email protected]