National Football League

Peterson, Rice stories damage NFL but can't destroy it

Published Sep. 13, 2014 10:22 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

One of the best things that could happen to Ray Rice has made matters even worse for the NFL.

Video of Rice slugging his now-wife aboard a casino elevator is no longer the most objectionable act from a player to have surfaced this week. That distinction now falls to the damage suffered by a 4-year-old boy who police photographed after he received what was intended as a disciplinary "whooping" by an even bigger star running back -- his father, Adrian Peterson.

Thus, the public dialogue shifts from Rice and the topic of domestic violence toward Peterson and the "spare the rod, spoil the child" parenting debate about what differentiates acceptable discipline from abuse. Rice receives a welcome respite from the media spotlight as that blinding beam gets shined onto Peterson and further away from where the NFL wants it.

On the field.

I know for some fans it never left there. They simply don't care about Rice and Peterson beyond what it means for their favorite team, fantasy roster or the point spread. They don't want the real world infringing upon their sports.

The NFL and other professional leagues are part of the entertainment industry like motion pictures, Broadway plays or concerts. They're all forms of escapism. Topics like the potential long-term effects of concussions or athletes using performance-enhancing drugs for a competitive edge fall mostly on deaf ears.

Just serve the hot dog. Don't tell me how it's made or what spare meat parts are used.

But there are times when the NFL transcends being "just a game" because of its self-promoted standing as America’s game. Football helped the nation heal after the 9/11 tragedy. It provided a welcomed diversion in New Orleans as a region devastated by Hurricane Katrina rallied behind its Saints.

Actions both good and bad outside the locker room bring attention to real-life issues as wide ranging as dog-fighting to drunk driving to mental-health awareness.

Players become emblematic of societal woes when they stumble even if the overwhelming majority never runs afoul of the law.

"Any situation that puts a shadow on the NFL affects every one of us," Dolphins defensive end Cam Wake told FOX Sports earlier this week. "Even though it's not 'us,' it's all of us."

This is again one of those times that extends beyond the gridiron. It also begs the question of how many more blows the league shield can take before being pulverized into scrap metal.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell must regain his credibility while trying to navigate between fallout from his disastrous handling of the Rice situation to determining how best to handle impending discipline for Peterson, who wasn't benched by the league but the Minnesota Vikings themselves for Sunday's game against New England. The decisions by San Francisco and Carolina to continue starting two of their defensive ends (Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy) dealing with their own respective domestic-violence charges further reinforces the NFL's perception as tone-deaf to the justice the public wants served for such heinous allegations without the league giving players the right of due process.

The good news for the league is that none of these aforementioned blights have dented the game's popularity -- yet. The seven highest-rated shows last week were all NFL-related. In fact, the robust audience of roughly 20 million viewers who watched the Pittsburgh-Baltimore matchup on Thursday night might have gotten a boost from curiosity about how the Rice scandal would impact the game and telecast.

Even if squeamish sponsors begin to yank advertising because of the Rice mess, more will quickly emerge to fill their place.

Even if Peterson's image never recovers from the physical trauma he inflicted, another marketable player will take his endorsements.

And even if Goodell is ousted based upon the results of the independent investigation into the handling of the Rice discipline, team owners won't struggle to find a capable replacement.

The NFL is still the nation's most popular television product and recognizable sporting brand. There are no viable challengers on the horizon.

The biggest threats to the league's prosperity may be the ones it can control. That includes oversaturation or the disinterest that could potentially develop from the current start-and-stop action generated by too many penalties, commercials and instant replay reviews. A boring product is an easy way to prompt channel-surfing.

It would take far worse than all the woes mentioned earlier to create an Enron-like implosion. Even an in-game player death or major gambling scandal would rock the league's foundation but not tip it over.