NFL puts 'Inspire Change' and 'Choose Love' on fields but not so aggressive about its domestic abuse issues
The start of another work week brought another NFL domestic abuse story, this time with the arrest of Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs on five charges tied to abuse complaints. And, while the names and allegations change, the story is all too familiar.
A world-class NFL athlete, coach or highly paid administrator somehow is alleged to have manhandled a female.
And before we go any further, allow this important stipulation: Not every allegation is true and not every accused person is guilty.
But this also is a fact: Some of these guys make the allegations go away by paying off the victims so as to be able to claim innocence.
GREEN BAY PACKERS PRO BOWL RB JOSH JACOBS ARRESTED ON MULTIPLE DOMESTIC ABUSE CHARGES
The incidents are troubling in their misdeeds and numbers and it begs the question, what is the NFL doing about all this?
Where is the league that has since 2020 told us to "End Racism" and "Inspire Change" as social justice initiatives been on its most visible employees putting their hands on women?
Where is the "END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE" sign on NFL fields or on player helmets?
It is nowhere, of course, because that would remind everyone the league, like the greater society it serves, has a problem. And doing that isn't high on the marketing department's list of things to do.
But not highlighting homegrown domestic abuse doesn't make it less of a problem — not even for a league otherwise busy sending other virtue signals that probably don't need as much attention.
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Serious questions:
Does the NFL suffer more from a lack of choosing love or an abundance of domestic abuse?
Is there more racism or strong men manhandling weaker vessels in the NFL?
The statistics on domestic abuse in the NFL seem to tip the scales past way too much. Consider:
May 2026: Former Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is accused in a civil lawsuit of breaking the leg of social influencer Sophie Hall during "backyard football drills." Hill settled the suit on the second day of trial in exchange for Hill dropping assault and battery claims.
April 2026: Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery of his daughter. The case was later dismissed without prejudice.
April 2026: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is sued by his ex-girlfriend, Dacoda Jones, for $1 million, after she alleged physical and emotional abuse spanning from 2023 to 2025. That case has not yet been settled or disposed.
December 2025: Dolphins linebacker coach Ryan Crow is fired after being placed on administrative leave following an August 2025 arrest on assault and battery charges against a female who lived with him. Prosecutors declined to file charges.
August 2025: Offensive lineman Shaq Mason is arrested following an alleged violent altercation with the mother of his child at her Franklin, Tennessee, home home, during which he allegedly forced entry, choked the victim, struck her and sent a threatening message. He was apprehended by local police during a traffic stop later that morning and held on a $150,000 bond, with orders for GPS monitoring and no contact with the victim.
The NFL has even witnessed Congress investigate it and one of its former owners, Daniel Snyder, about whether and how the league and the Washington Commanders covered up "decades of sexual misconduct" against women.
None of these include Jacobs. None of these include charges dropped when the alleged victims — some of whom depend financially on the men — later refuse to cooperate with police or prosecutors, such as the recent James Pearce case.
And, again, some of these are outright unfair on their face — such as the strangulation charge, which was alleged against receiver Stefon Diggs and was later adjudicated in court with a not guilty verdict.
But, let's agree, these are nonetheless a troubling number of incidents. And the NFL isn't exactly charging at the problem in plain sight like it is about us not choosing love enough.
This is not to say the NFL hasn't tried to address the issue in the background. The league has in the past partnered with the "NO MORE" campaign on domestic violence and sexual assault awareness efforts since 2014, particularly after the Ray Rice scandal.
The league also has supported organizations such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline and RALIANCE financially and through public-awareness initiatives.
But these campaigns are on the margins while "Inspire Change" has been in fans' faces for years. And what change has that actually inspired?
Not a lot.
Because NFL players, coaches and others are still being arrested and charged with domestic abuse.