In this Raiders news and rumors update, Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis didn't mince words when asked how the NFL should proceed in the midst of its current domestic violence crisis.
“In my mind, if somebody’s accused or arrested in a domestic-violence case, they should be suspended with pay,” Davis said frankly in an interview with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
“I want to make sure it fits the legalities and with what the union wants, but I just think that’s the only thing that makes sense for us now.”
Davis, who became receptive about the need for action on this issue after Raider great Fred Biletnikoff's daughter was murdered by her boyfriend in 1999, is the first of the NFL's owners to take such a clear public stand on issuing instant discipline in domestic-violence cases.
“I see what the 49ers and Jed (York) are going through and what they’re saying, ‘Innocent until proven guilty’ and that’s the American way,” Davis said in regards to the 49ers' decision to continue playing defensive end Ray McDonald after his arrest on suspicion of domestic abuse.
“But I think we have to get this right, and suspension with pay in those cases (while the investigation moves forward) is the only thing that makes sense to me right now.”
Regardless of Davis' bold stance on how the NFL should proceed going forward on domestic-violence matters, he still supports NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as he scrambles to backtrack from the PR disaster he is partially responsible for on an administrative level.
“He’s dealing with something we haven’t experienced before at this level,” David said of Goodell.
“We’re all dealing with this. We’re all trying to figure out how to get this right," he added.
Davis is mostly referring to the all-too-lenient two-game suspension that Goodell handed down to former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice - a punishment that drew criticism even before the full tape of Rice's assault of his then-fiancee became public.
“He made a decision, admitted he made a mistake, and he tried to go back and correct it. Yeah, I definitely support him.”
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