What could perhaps be called one of the worst couple weeks in the NFL's history continues. Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested Wednesday over allegations of domestic violence.
According to KNXV, the incident took place in July. A 27-year-old woman suffered a fracture, and a shoe was thrown at an 18-month-old child. Both victims left the state after the incident.
Police say the woman contacted them last week after Dwyer sent her a photo of a knife and threatened to kill himself if she went to authorities.
The arrest is the latest in a run of bad PR for the NFL.
Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald have kept the league in the spotlight recently for their involvement in domestic abuse incidents. And now, Jonathon Dwyer is added to that list.
Both PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch inBev, which deliver a combined annual $300 million in advertising fees to the NFL, have expressed disappointment in the league's reaction so far to the widely-reported scandals. Numerous other companies have done likewise.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has come under fire for the league's handling of these players, with a former FBI director heading an investigation into how the league dealt with Ray Rice's case.
But who's to blame for this losing-streak-of-a-week by the NFL? A writer for the Stabley Times says it's the league's own fault that it's taking a PR beating:
"This was hubris, plain and simple. This was a juggernaut grown complacent by a fan base seemingly willing to overlook anything. ... This was the NFL thinking they had a coat of Teflon that would last in perpetuity. And it didn’t."
But Sports Illustrated reports, despite this spate of domestic violence incidents, the league can still turn things around: "The only way the NFL can emerge from this with its dignity and social impact intact is to make a difference on the domestic violence front, and with sanctions and an education program that matter."
The Arizona Cardinals released a statement Wednesday saying they have immediately deactivated Dwyer from participating in all team activities.
The NFL has so far only said that it plans to review Dwyer's arrest under its revised personal conduct policy.
This video contains images from Getty Images.
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