FUTURES Applauds NFL for Taking First Step Toward Curbing Domestic Violence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                                                                                                MEDIA CONTACT:
Lauren Brisbo, Futures Without Violence
Lbrisbo@futureswithoutviolence.org
415.678.5619

FUTURES Applauds National Football League for Taking First Step Toward Curbing Domestic Violence

Violence prevention nonprofit commends swift action taken by NFL following meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell

SAN FRANCISCO (August 28, 2014) — Futures Without Violence (FUTURES) commends the National Football League (NFL) for demonstrating leadership on the issue of domestic violence, following a meeting with  top violence prevention leaders last week. A letter distributed by Commissioner Roger Goodell today outlining tougher penalties for domestic violence-related violations, serves as a good first step in addressing the League’s longstanding history with the issue.

“We’re pleased to have the opportunity to work with the NFL to help elevate their leadership in preventing violence against women,” said FUTURES President and Founder Esta Soler. “While harsher penalties for players are necessary, it’s only step one to curbing domestic and sexual violence. Real transformation will require prevention-based solutions rooted in education and the promotion of mutual respect.”

The letter comes on the heels of a highly-publicized domestic violence incident in which Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice received a two-game suspension after a striking his then-girlfriend unconscious in a hotel elevator. In response to public and media outrage about the minimal penalty, the NFL reconsidered their policies, and convened a small group of gender-based violence experts and, advocates—including Futures Without Violence president Esta Soler, and Board member Peter Harvey, former Attorney General of New Jersey—to discuss meaningful strategies to prevent violence against women.

“We look forward to continuing our work with the NFL and hope to help them implement programs and trainings focused on education,” said Soler. “Changing how our society at large views violence against women is critical, and will require the engagement of players, NFL staff, and fans.”

Futures Without Violence
For more than 30 years, Futures Without Violence has led the way and set the pace for innovative educational programs, public action campaigns, policy development, and leadership training designed to end violence against women, children, and families around the world. Instrumental in developing the landmark Violence Against Women Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1994, Futures Without Violence has established an international conference center that will engage today’s diverse national and global leaders, stand with survivors, and continue working to break the silence around gender-based violence.

###