Column: NOW makes Cable see a shrink?

The NFL has ruled that Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable could be mentally incapable of being a coach in the NFL and is need of help. The league has finally decided to get involved the Cable situation after refusing to step in during the original altercations in training camp.

In summary, there was a coaches’ meeting in August after which assistant coach Randy Hanson left with a broken jaw, claiming that Cable had caused the injury to his face.

When confronted by the media, Cable responded by saying, “It’s an internal issue that we are dealing with.” When a reporter asked directly about his involvement in the altercation, he replied, “I’m not going to comment on that.” It has been determined that Cable was to blame for the broken jaw.

Hanson did not press charges, and the Napa Police Department did not find enough evidence to pursue the matter any further. Despite posting an expectedly dismal record of 2-6 to start the season, Cable has behaved properly since the altercation.

But “Outside the Lines,” an ESPN show, revealed that two women claimed to have been previously abused by Cable. The first woman was Cable’s first wife, who claimed he physically abused her several times. Cable admitted to slapping her with an open hand once when he found out she had committed adultery, but he did not admit to hitting her more than once.

The second woman was a girlfriend named Marie Lutz, who claims she was physically abused by Cable when he was in a state of sheer madness, which Cable denies. Last Thursday, after the allegations about Cable’s abuse of his intimate partners had been released, National Organization of Women (NOW) President Terry O’Neill assertively called for the removal of Cable as a coach for the Oakland Raiders.

In an interview with Josh Dubow, O’Neill said, “Boys and girls around the country, as well as many women, look to the leaders of the NFL as our role models. Why would the NFL tolerate having a man who admits to having battered his wife?”

The NFL, behind the leadership of Commissioner Roger Goodell, has reacted to such reports by requiring Cable to meet with a league-hired counselor.

Jokingly, the NFL should not stop with Cable, and should have required Principal Owner/ General Manager Al Davis and quarterback JaMarcus Russell to see a shrink as well due to their own insanities. Al Davis for being a complete moron for too many reasons to even list, and Russell for thinking he is doing a “pretty good job” quarterbacking the Raiders.

Despite the situation of the Oakland Raiders organization, the NFL is doing the right thing by finally getting involved with the Tom Cable situation. While the information of the counseling sessions will not be released to the public due to doctor-patient confidentiality, the fact that the league is taking an active role in this issue is a good sign.

But, I believe it was also right for the league not to interfere after the coaches’ dispute that resulted in a broken jaw. As many analysts pointed out following the broken jaw in August, coaches have heated arguments over players, game plans, final cuts during training camp quite frequently. The Raiders’ coaches meeting, like its fans and their reputation, got a little out of control and resulted in savagery.

As a result, a coach left the room bruised and battered. Other than the obvious problem of whether the two men should have been working together, it is not something the league should have gotten involved in at the time.

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NOW no pun intended, in November we face a deeper and fragile issue regarding domestic violence. Whether or not Cable admits to the accusations, or if the police ever charged him, it still appears as if violence tends to follow Cable wherever he goes.

NFL players and coaches have been charged and closely tied with domestic violence in the past. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was accused and charged with domestic violence against his girlfriend Beth in March of 2008.

In 2004, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ tailback Michael Pittman crashed his Hummer into the car his wife was driving with his child and baby sister on purpose. He received a three-game suspension for the inexcusable and disgustingly immoral act of aggression.

These are two examples pulled out of an array of incidents in which NFL players have committed serious acts of violence against women. Domestic violence is a very serious issue that has caused the NFL to receive disparaging criticism from women’s rights groups and the general public.

The NFL recognized the problem and has instituted a conduct management program for all rookies and has tried to shape its image in a better light through charitable organizations.

There continues, however, to be an undeniable connection between the violent sport of football and domestic violence. Therefore, as soon as the information revealing the abuse of two women came out, in connection with the August incident, the NFL had to intervene somehow. It would have been too extreme for the NFL to suspend Cable, since there was never any substantial evidence in a court of law. Yet, requiring Cable to see a therapist is a suitable solution — recognizing that he has a problem, and it is not accepted in the NFL. While the NFL was not responding directly to the opinion of NOW and its president, it acted in a manner suitable to appeal to women.

While NOW feels that Cable should lose his job for his history of violence, I do not agree. Yes, it is true that the NFL’s coaches and players are role models to children, but the man cannot be fired for accusations in his past, prior to being the coach of the Raiders. Domestic violence is an absolutely terrible crime, and I am in no way condoning it. I simply believe that there are other actions that those in power can pursue, and NOW is not in a position of power to reasonably request for Cable to fired. When I first read that the NFL was making Cable see a shrink, I was startled that they could even force a coach to do such a thing.

But after looking at the deeper issues, it is clear that the NFL was reacting to Cable’s trend of violence with a focus on his past of domestic violence, rather than just focusing on the incident in August.

It is imperative for the NFL to continue to combat the connection between its participants and domestic violence.