Explanations of violence in the National Football League: Apologia by the NFL and NFL athletes charged with violence

This thesis analyzes the ways in which players and NFL officials have explained player behavior against accusations of domestic violence, by considering accusation and apologia in two case studies. As a multibillion-dollar industry, professional sports are important to American society. Americans pay attention to issues that arise in sports, especially those that highlight larger societal problems. This thesis will examine the accusations against and apologia of the current National Football League (NFL) players Michael Vick and Ray Rice as well as the NFL's reactions. Violence, and especially domestic violence, is nothing new to society but has become an increasingly visible phenomenon in the NFL during the past decade.