NFL player arrests dropped since 2014 while domestic violence cases vary - ESPN

On Aug. 13, three days after his first NFL appearance, Cleveland Browns rookie Michael Hall Jr. was arrested after police said he held a gun to his fiancée's head and threatened to kill her.

Hall initially pleaded not guilty to a domestic violence charge, and the NFL opened an investigation into the allegations the next day. He played in the Browns' remaining two preseason games before the NFL announced he would be placed on the commissioner's exempt list and barred from practice or games until the league concluded its investigation. His fiancée later recanted her statement that Hall held a gun to her head, and in September, he pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct. The NFL suspended him Oct. 1 for five games without pay.

The NFL's immediate reaction to Hall's arrest was a result of the procedures implemented a decade ago, when public criticism over the league's delayed response to allegations involving then-Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice forced a toughening of policies around domestic violence. The changes included new minimum punishments for first-time offenders and mandatory player education.

Since then, the league says, player arrests for all types of offenses have gone down «by half.» However, the number of players accused in domestic violence cases has fluctuated from year to year, according to figures released by the league to ESPN. In 2023, 11 cases of domestic violence were reported to the NFL, as compared to eight cases reported in 2015, the first full year after policy changes. Figures in other years ranged from three to nine incidents. So far in 2024, five cases have been reported to the league.

«Domestic violence and sexual assault are huge societal problems,» said Lisa Friel,