Think

I’m circling Deadlinepolooza, but I wanted to just say a couple of things regarding the Ezekiel Elliott suspension because I’ve seen some things said in social media.

Imagine the worst thing that’s ever happened to you. The most gut-wrenching, horrible thing that still occasionally visits your dreams and makes you wake up with tears streaming down your face.

Now imagine it festooned on someone’s t-shirt as you eat dinner at Chipotle. Imagine your friends talking about a similar incident and siding with the person or thing that caused your heartache.

Now think of the people touched by domestic violence. My point isn’t whether Elliott got the business from the NFL – he’s got a nice contract and a big smile and clearly, he’s gonna be OK.

But on average, 20 people per minute are abused by an intimate partner in the U.S. In her lifetime, 1 in three women will experience domestic abuse or rape by a partner. In his lifetime, 1 in 4 men will. And according to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experience severe physical intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

So the chances are someone in your Twitter feed, someone in your Facebook friends, someone who shops at your store has been a victim of domestic violence.

So yes, close your eyes, and imagine a world where the worst thing that ever happened to you is celebrated on clothing and social media.

The open your eyes and do some soul searching.