Bills signing problematic former wrestler Gable Steveson reeks of hypocrisy

The Buffalo Bills signed Olympic gold medalist and former WWE superstar Gable Steveson to a contract on Friday, and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so.

In June 2019, Steveson and another former Minnesota wrestler, Dylan Martinez, were arrested after a woman reported she had been raped by the two men and went to the hospital to get treatment. get treatment.

Unfortunately, at the time, there was a loophole in Minnesota law that stated that a person could not be charged with sexual assault or rape if the alleged victim was intentionally intoxicated. Steveson and Martinez therefore faced no sanctions.

The state of Minnesota must have realized how horrible this law was because they changed it in 2021.

Reps. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, and Marion O’Neill, R-Maple Lake, had drafted a bill to update that law even before the high court ruled. It is the product of two years of study by a sex crimes law reform task force created by the 2019 Legislature.

“Victims who are intoxicated to such an extent that they are incapable of giving consent have a right to justice,” Moller said last spring when she introduced the bill. Sen. David Senjem, R-Rochester, was the lead Senate sponsor.

Both wrestlers were suspended following their arrest, but once the case was dismissed, they were immediately cleared to resume activities with the Minnesota wrestling program. Two years later, in August 2021, he won an Olympic gold medal.

The Buffalo Bills have unfortunately found themselves dealing with multiple cases of players facing rape accusations. Punter Matt Araiza has been accused of being involved in the gang rape of a minor while he attended San Diego State. The Bills cut him almost immediately after the accusation. And although, at the time, they were applauded for acting quickly and freeing a player accused of something so heinous, Araiza, however, was cleared of any involvement in the woman’s alleged gang rape. The Kansas City Chiefs finally signed the free agent punter.

The bills signing Steveson more or less reek of hypocrisy. Again, releasing Araiza at the time seemed like the smartest thing to do from an organizational standpoint. They did not know what would come of this matter, but wanted to take a stand and state that this type of behavior would not be tolerated. All of this now goes out the window and rings hollow.

Additionally, last season, Bills edge rusher Von Miller was arrested in Texas after allegedly choking his pregnant girlfriend during the team’s bye week last season, and was cleared to play the rest of the season without any sort of punishment. Miller spoke about the allegations later, saying they were “100 percent false.”

And it’s not just a Buffalo Bills problem, it’s an NFL problem that the league has in that it clearly doesn’t care what its players do off the field when it’s is about harming women. Bet on sports? Immediate one-year suspension. Accused of sexually assaulting a woman and getting away with it? Welcome aboard, sign here. Go to the obligatory minicamp.

The NFL is the only place where if you stand up against racial injustices and dare to kneel for the national anthem, the league will make sure you never play a snap on its field again while rewarding someone who was charged with two dozen counts. of sexual misconduct with a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

Football is a great sport. The NFL is largely filled with good, honest people whose quality actions unfortunately are not always seen nor given the attention they deserve. And it’s also unfortunate that days like this remind us how ugly and seedy the NFL and professional sports as a whole can be.