Bob Kraft’s position on Joe Mixon puts other NFL owners in spotlight

Joe Mixon is a polarizing prospect and Bob Kraft of the New England Patriots is taking a hardline approach to drafting him.

The New England Patriots are not going to take Joe Mixon. That’s one (and potentially the only) NFL draft rumor you can rely upon when the smoke clears in late April. Per quotes from Bob Kraft, the team’s owner, to the Boston Herald on Wednesday, it’s clear the Patriots organization will not employ a single player with a history of domestic violence, even if that player has shown remorse or served the punishment given to him for the crime.

"“While I believe in second chances and giving players an opportunity for redemption, I also believe that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right,” Kraft told the Herald. “For me, personally, I believe that privilege is lost for men who have a history of abusing women.”"

There are a lot of football fans who would agree with that statement, the ones who came out of the woodwork when the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Tyreek Hill just last offseason in the fifth round. They were the same ones who spoke up when the Seattle Seahawks drafted Frank Clark in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Each of the aforementioned players came with the baggage of previous arrests for domestic violence. Each has also been a productive member on the field for the teams that drafted them.

Mixon represents the biggest moral quandary in this year’s draft. The talents will be enough to entice someone, and there are plenty of teams who have checked him out. The entire AFC West, sans Chiefs, have hosted Mixon for a personal visit. The Saints are the next team up. But it should be noted that where a player is drafted should matter very little — whether first or seventh round, the player is still employed by the team.

Kraft’s words put every other NFL owner on notice with a subtext that preaches about the lax morals of other franchises. Some will take issue with this, especially coming from a franchise equated with cheating, from Deflategate to Spygate. But domestic violence is another issue entirely, despite what a person might feel about the level of dishonesty on the part of the Patriots over the last several years.

If one NFL team refuses to employ an offender, should every team? Are those teams lacking the moral fiber that every team should have? Should the NFL have across-the-board standards? These are interesting questions for fans and teams both to consider. The second chance quotes sound good until you consider the scenario from the victim’s side. That player is not only getting to be in the spotlight but they can tell their side of the story to a myriad of cameras and microphones while the victim sits isolated and violated, forced to see the perpetrator in the spotlight again and again. How would it feel to be the victim of a player who is constantly being interviewed, showered with praise and even receiving significant sums of money in the process? It certainly cannot be easy.

Certainly that player deserves to be employed somewhere doing something, but do they deserve the chance to be in the spotlight once again? Is that a privilege as Kraft states? Andy Reid, the Chiefs had coach, believes they do and thinks the second chance is given no matter what the crime or the vocation.

"“There’s no room for errors for some of these situations,” said Reid when asked about Hill and Mixon. “So, you have to do your homework, and make sure the kid is focused in on making sure he does the right thing. You’re getting your second chance. There’s not normally another chance after the first chance there.”"

Certain franchises have become synonymous with taking almost too many chances — a reputation for a lack of morals whatsoever, if you will. The Baltimore Ravens could not have looked worse during the Ray Rice debacle with the handling of it all. The Cincinnati Bengals have taken PR hits by continuing to employ the likes of Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones over time. Has it made a difference? Have they lost fans over time (and therefore money)? Is there a cloud that lingers over these franchises for the average NFL fan?

The NFL has given each individual team the right to choose their moral boundaries, and it clearly looks different for everyone. If the league outright denied Joe Mixon the chance to play professional football, the victims of these crimes might feel a bit of relief and a sense of justice knowing the ramifications for what they did are ongoing, just as the feeling of violation lingers long after the actual offense. Then again, such a move would also keep a player’s sincere efforts to rehab and move on that much more difficult.