The privilege of wearing the uniform

It is a privilege to don the title of professional athlete. Each one of us has worked incredibly hard and made countless sacrifices to earn that title, yet we understand that being able to support our families while playing a sport we love is a rare gift. We wear our uniforms with pride and we appreciate how fortunate we are. 

During my 12 years in the National Football League, I relished the honor of being a role model for fans of all ages. In fact, it was one of the aspects of being a part of the NFL that I enjoyed most. The majority of players I knew felt the same way. Yet, it’s no secret that when you’re in the spotlight, your worldview and personal reality can become warped. For that reason, implementing a tougher personal conduct policy for the NFL—one that clearly defines infractions, makes the discipline process tough, consistent and transparent—is imperative to preserving the integrity of the league. The irresponsible decisions of a few guys should not detract from the distinguished reputation that the majority of players have worked their whole lives to establish. 

{mosads}The vast majority of my current and former NFL compatriots are upstanding men dedicated to excellence in all aspects of their lives: as players who give it their all every time they hit the field; as fathers, husbands and sons who are the nucleus of their families; as involved members of their communities who demonstrate generosity and benevolence; and as men, to whom millions of fans look as examples. 

The number of negative stories that have cycled through the media pale in comparison to the countless positive stories quietly playing themselves out day to day; however, it’s the tragic cases that often have the deepest impact on young players and young fans who look to us for guidance on how to behave. Furthermore, the mishandling of these cases sends an even wider and more discouraging message to the victims and survivors of abuse. No child should see her battered mother in a hospital bed. No teenage boy should see his primary male role model beating his mother. And no victim, daunted by the NFL’s inertness, should continue to suffer in silence rather than speak out and seek help. 

It should not have taken recent tragic incidents to prove that we need firmer guidelines to help hold us to a higher level of accountability. But it did allow us to see that what we’ve had up to now was not working—not for those who play the game, not for the well-being of the game itself, not for the fans and, most of all, not for those who suffer at the hands of those who assault and defile them, which I experienced first-hand as a child, witnessing my own mother being severely abused countless times. 

As players and as people, we lead by action. From where I sit, the NFL’s new Personal Conduct Policy makes positive changes not only to the discipline process—such as new independent investigative procedures and the appointment of a highly qualified individual with a law enforcement background to hand down initial discipline—but also through a bevy of additional League-funded services for victims and families within the NFL family who are experiencing these horrific incidents. Through the policy, violators are provided avenues to rehabilitate themselves, which hopefully they will utilize. Paramount to that, the policy recognizes that the League has a responsibility to ensure the safety and support of families who are being victimized. 

This new policy is not going to impact the majority of NFL players—those who have been and will continue to be committed to upholding a culture of responsibility. But for the few who might make different decisions—and those watching us all—this new policy provides a great chance to turn things in a different direction, in individual cases and maybe even for the country as a whole. 

There is an epidemic of domestic violence and sexual assault in this country, and we, as role models with access to a national platform, have a choice: we can take the field each week, hit our X’s and O’s and hang up our accountability with our uniforms at the end of the game, OR we can make the most of the responsibility thrust upon us as professional football players and show our legions of fans what it means to be a good man on and off the field. 

I believe in personal responsibility. Whenever a person is irresponsible, it doesn’t just go away, it becomes someone else’s responsibility. As a man, and as a former player in the NFL, I take the utmost pride in carrying my piece of the responsibility. 

Martin is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and former running back for the New England Patriots and the New York Jets.