NFL and Social Responsibility

Like many organizations the NFL is involved and leads many great initiatives and certainly appear to have social responsibility as a priority for their organization.  They are involved with an array of foundations, charities and fundraising events to help communities throughout the United States.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity for social responsibility is right underneath their nose.  In week 13 of the NFL season Jevon Belcher of the Kansas City Chiefs committed suicide after shooting and killing his girlfriend.  This tragically left their young daughter without a mother and father.  In week 14 Josh Brent of the Dallas Cowboys was in a motor vehicle accident that killed his teammate and best friend.  He was the driver of the vehicle and at the time of the crash was under the influence of alcohol.  The NFL has a history of players (employees) having various social and emotional incidents.  Another unfortunate death occurred in 2009 when Cincinnati Bengal receiver Chris Henry fell out of the back of a truck during a domestic dispute.  Like any other organization they have many outstanding citizens as well.  These two recent incidents certainly cannot be identified as a trend but I have a hard time believing that these are the only two individuals in the NFL who may have benefited from more accountability, leadership and team/NFL support. 

The NFL does not have to go far to look for social responsibility opportunities.  They have an opportunity to help their employees become responsible citizens within their respective organizations and communities.  Focusing on the employee rather than a program can potentially have a greater ripple effect when compared to other initiatives they run.  Although they may help raise large sums of money for different initiatives they could have also potentially saved 2 lives. 

The NFL does offer programs to support its players.  The actually offer an extensive array of support systems for rookies and veterans  The NFL currently has various programs in place to support incoming players as they transition from University to the NFL.  These include: 

- Support services at the East-West Shrine and Senior Bowl All Star Games 

- Presentation at the NFL Scouting Combine
- Rookie Symposium

Once a player is in the league the support services continue with programs such as:

- Rookie Success Program
- Former Player Ambassador Groups
- Emergency Counseling
- Various Counseling Services 

Obvious they have an extensive support system in place that is offered to all players.  I believe a possible addition to their current plan should include identifying rookie players who may be considered higher risk.  They can identify those incoming rookies based upon their history in university and high school.  If they notice a trend in behavior they can monitor and support that player beyond what they offer everyone else.  

NFL leadership needs to take serious look at its current support programs and assess their effectiveness.  In addition to this assessment they need to begin identifying players who are high risk.  It is much easier to be proactive rather than reactive when dealing with the lives of employees, family and friends.