Unless you've been in a coma, it would be hard to miss all the coverage on just about every type of media outlet concerning the video of Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice physically abusing his then girlfriend (now wife), resulting in his being fired by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
What many may not know (perhaps because neither player is of the star status of Rice), is that there are two other players currrently facing domestic violence charges--Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers (appealing his conviction) and Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers (arrested September 1st, case still being investigated). For obvious reasons, there are many calling for both of these players to be suspended as well.
In an interview today, 49ers CEO Jed York said the 49ers would not punish McDonald until due process has played out. Which prompted San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Ann Killion to tweet that York had dropped the "due process card."
Excuse me, but due process is not a fucking card--it's a right that's been around since the Magna Carta and is every American's constitutional right, as outlined in clauses in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. I am in no way defending McDonald's actions (full disclosure: I've been a 49ers fan since 1968)--there's probably a 99% chance that he's guilty. But due process exists (as wisely inserted by our Founding Fathers in the Fifth Amendment) for that 1% chance that he isn't--and that chance shouldn't be treated so flippantly.
Just ask the mother and father of Michael Brown what happens when authorities take a citizen's due process into their own hands.
Peace,
emaycee
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