Activists criticise NFL for lack of domestic violence awareness
'I have been disappointed that we didn’t get to see purple on the football field'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Domestic violence activists have expressed frustration against the National Football League for its lack of support for the cause as the National Domestic Violence Awareness month comes to an end tomorrow.
The NFL failed to wear the color purple — the color associated with domestic violence — during any games in October and have instead accepted funding to publicly support breast cancer charities and wear its associated color, pink.
Steelers defensive back William Gay was fined more than $5,700 this week for wearing purple cleats, a violation of the league's uniform policy. Gay wears the cleats to honour his late mother Carolyn, 30, who was fatally shot by her husband in 1992. Gay was 7-years-old.
Carolyn Hennecy, a victim of domestic violence and published author on the subject, said this year’s national awareness month fell short of campaigners’ hopes and expectations, especially regarding the NFL’s lack of action.
“I have been disappointed that we didn’t get to see purple on the football field,” she told The Independent. “I only saw [former player] Terry Bradshaw bravely and vehemently speak out against Greg Hardy. That was a bright light.”
Hardy returned to play for the Dallas Cowboys this month after serving a four-game suspension. He was found guilty in July of assaulting his former girlfriend and threatening to kill her. The defensive end was sentenced to 18 months probation and a suspended 60-day jail term.
Meanwhile, feminists, victims and campaigners have condemned the NFL for not supporting the cause, particularly after an inflow of domestic violence stories.
Activist Nicole Lofton has started a petition on Change.org to ask the NFL to publicly support both breast cancer and domestic violence causes by wearing pink and purple. The petition has so far over 3,200 signatures.
NFL spokeswoman Angela Alfano told The Independent that players are able to "promote their causes in many effective ways outside of the three-hour window when they are in their game uniform."
She added that: "teams can wear special patches or helmet decals with league approval to recognize a member of their team who has died, or to commemorate a special team anniversary."
Domestic violence costs the US economy around $8.3 billion every year, and one in every four women will be a victim of domestic violence during their lives, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The awareness month in October came into being more than 15 years ago when former senator Joe Biden introduced the Violence Against Women Act in 1990.