The National Football League has always been a league plagued by domestic issues and federal offenses. From Ray Rice to O.J Simpson, the NFL has seen its fair share of legal problems throughout its 102 year history. During the 2021-22 NFL Season, the league saw a spike in criminal offenses.

. “ There’ve been a lot of players with domestic issues, in [Las] Vegas especially…” said Senior and Kansas State Football commit Erwin Nash. 

Some of the most notable disturbances in Las Vegas have been Alvin Kamara committing battery on a man in an elevator during the pro bowl, Henry Ruggs III killing a woman and her dog in a fiery car crash, and Damon Arnette being arrested on gun charges. A note about the Ruggs incident was that he was highly intoxicated and was going north of 150 miles per hour at the time of the crash. 

Another big topic in the NFL is the hiring of African American head coaches. The problem with this topic is that African American coaches aren’t getting hired as head coaches. 

“One coach is suing over some racial indifferences…” said Falcon Coach Jeff Gourley. 

That coach he is referring to is Brian Flores. Flores led the Miami Dolphins to one of their best seasons in the past decades. The team showed real potential for the future. Flores being a defensive minded coach had his defense firing on all cylinders the past two seasons. 

The Dolphins finished with two winning records the past two seasons, yet the administration decided to fire Flores. After being fired, Flores came out with allegations against the head office of the Dolphins accusing them of attempting to pay him to lose games to get better draft picks. Flores being the competitor he turned down those offers and won games. He has now sued the league and the Dolphins for the cover up and immorality of the offers. Flores recently signed onto the Steelers to become a defensive assistant and linebackers coach. 

So what can the NFL do about these problems? Eshaan Singh, sophomore, said that the NFL needs to have “more severe punishments, maybe higher fines or suspensions.” 

The NFL has a large problem on its hands. Keeping players and people safe should be the number one priority but right now it seems as if money is instead. Nash stated that the league “…needs to focus on areas like Vegas that have a lot of stuff going down…” It will be interesting to see how the league handles itself and its players for the upcoming season.