AP

In the case of IK Enemkpali’s fist versus Geno Smith’s jaw, the glove fits. IK did it, everyone knows he did it, and he has apologized for it.

So why hasn’t the NFL placed Enemkpali on paid leave pending either the outcome of any prosecution or the processing of his discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy?

“The policy says: ‘You may be placed on paid admin leave’ . . if you are formally charged or an investigation leads the Commissioner to believe that the player may have violated this policy. That hasn’t been determined at this time,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told PFT via email, with the emphasis supplied by him.

“No charges have been filed and our investigation is ongoing,” McCarthy added.

That’s fine, but how much of an investigation is needed? The guy did it. If the NFL is going to take violence seriously, it can’t treat domestic violence one way and workplace violence another. Violence is violence, and relying on the words “may be” can’t be cover for making it up as we go. Punching someone in the face should be clearly prohibited by the NFL via immediate discipline, regardless of where the punch occurs.

In this case, it’s clear the punch was thrown. It’s unclear why the NFL hasn’t done anything about it.

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