With the recent incidents involving three running backs, the NFL is facing an enormous amount of scrutiny and fire coming their way.

Former Baltimore Raven’s running back Ray Rice has been cut by the team and suspended from the NFL after a video surfaced showing Rice punching his wife in the face and knocking her out on an elevator. Rice then dragged his wife out of the elevator and into the hallway of the hotel they were in. Rice has had previous issues involving domestic violence. There was another video that surfaced, showing Rice dragging his then-girlfriend out of a club.

Current Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been placed on the NFL’s exempt list, which bars him from all team activities. Peterson was indicted last week for child abuse, but more specifically, on a felony count of reckless and negligent injury to a child. Peterson whipped his four-year-old son and left bruises and wounds on him. The Exempt List is a list of players that the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, declares to be temporarily exempt from counting within the Active List limit. Only the Commissioner has the authority to place a player on the Exempt List.

Current Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault in connection with two July incidents that involve a woman and a young child. Dwyer is accused of fracturing one of the woman’s bones and also keeping her from calling 911. Arizona has deactivated Dwyer from all team activities.

I think that these three players have been foolish. They’ve been blessed with a huge amount of talent and opportunity, and they’re throwing it away. First of all, no man should ever put his hands on a woman or child. All three players did just that. Rice basically beat up his wife, Peterson abused his child, and Dwyer did some serious damage to a woman and a child.

Everything that the NFL has done to punish Rice is warranted. There is no reason to have this man in the NFL. He beat his wife multiple times, and, whether he likes it or not, as an NFL player, he represents the brand. I don’t think the NFL handled it correctly at first, considering they knew about the video from the elevator a long time ago, but they fixed their mistake.

I don’t think that Peterson is a bad person. While I don’t condone child abuse or violence, there is a different side to the story. Think about how Peterson might have been raised. He might have been raised in a household where his father or mother hit and beat him. If you grow up thinking that’s normal, then it is hard to change your ways. Peterson shouldn’t have hit his child. It was wrong and he deserves whatever is thrown at him. But, people must try and see it from a different perspective in order to not just tag him as a bad person.

Dwyer has no excuse. While Rice has his punishment and is attempting to fix his mistakes, and Peterson made a mistake, Dwyer is just wrong. The news about Dwyer is newer than that of Rice and Peterson, so the full details haven’t been released. However, from what I’ve heard, it’s disheartening. If everything that’s been reported is true, than Dwyer deserves to be cut from the Cardinals and suspended, just like Rice.

The NFL needs to address Peterson and Dwyer just like they ended up doing with Rice.