National Football League is a professional football league founded in Canton, Ohio in 1920, first gaining popularity in 1966 when the NFL merged with the American Football League. The fame that came from a growing product has only led those enthralled with the highlife of NFL superstardom to suffer a mighty fall due to criminal activity.
Crime rates within the NFL are consistently increasing as ball players take advantage of the title of “professional athlete” to get away with their crimes and avoid jail time.
According to CNS Maryland, 982 NFL players have been arrested from January 2000 to March 2022. Seven percent of NFL players have been arrested, with the most arrests coming from the Minnesota Vikings at 54. Unfortunately, many got away with their crimes, facing only a slap on the wrist before returning to playing in the NFL.
This prevalent issue in the NFL – with their continued allowance of athletes to commit crimes unscathed – has contributed to a more dangerous and also less credible NFL.
Deshaun Watson has proved himself to be the most infamous NFL player of the modern era to reach the court of law. Watson, a quarterback currently playing for the Cleveland Browns, has faced 27 sexual assault accusations between March 2021 and September 2024. The assaults allegedly occurred across four different states in a variety of locations, primarily spas.
A jury chose not to indict Watson, who pleaded his innocence throughout the trial, despite the evidence and testimonies against him. According to People.com, Watson would issue an apology in August 2022 to the women he had affected.
Watson went from saying he had no regrets to apologizing to these women after many NFL fans believed he had “gotten away” with the crimes due to his status as a talented athlete. Now, with new cases piling up, it is possible that his time in the court of law is not over it.
Another occurrence of a football player getting away with a crime is the case of former University of Georgia player and current Philidelphia Eagle Jalen Carter. Carter was involved in a tragic accident, where a car driven by a Georgia recruiter with a sophomore on the football team crashed into a tree, killing both. The investigation revealed that Carter was illegally racing against said car after Georgia’s national championship victory.
The New York Times reported that despite Carter’s obvious involvement in the accident being shown through mountains of evidence, he was required to pay only a $1,000 fine, perform 80 hours of community service and complete a state-approved defensive driving course in order to prevent future accidents. As the proof of his crime is easily discerned through camera footage, Carter was unfairly let off of his crimes, which comes due to his status as a professional athlete, not through any fair legal process.
Athletes like Deshaun Watson and Jalen Carter show that NFL players need to be held accountable for their crimes and not excused due to superstardom. While the NFL uses its platform to entertain the masses, the players allowed on their fields have tarnished the credibility of the NFL and the criminal justice system. Athletes need to be held accountable for their crimes, and the NFL needs to prioritize morality over its monetary gains and athletes’ reputations.