NFL arrests plummet even as former ATF boss Todd Jones waits to assume disciplinary role
NEW YORK — Todd Jones has seen enough crime statistics to know a single data point can be deceiving. But the NFL’s new conduct czar says he’s heartened by a 35% decrease in player arrests since the league updated and expanded its policies and programs last year.
According to numbers kept by the NFL, there were 37 player arrests in the first nine months of 2015 — down from 57 over the same period last year and on pace for the fewest in a calendar year since the NFL last strengthened the personal conduct policy in 2007.
“Bottom line: I think we are encouraged by this number simply because it’s a measurement that gives us some indication that we’re making progress,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports during an interview Thursday in his office at the league's headquarters.
The numbers aren’t categorized by the type of crimes or conviction rates. But at the close of the NFL meetings Wednesday, Commissioner Roger Goodell pointed to the overall drop as evidence that the education, prevention and discipline measures the league enacted last year in the wake of the Ray Rice domestic violence case and other off-field issues are working.
The revised personal conduct policy owners approved Dec. 10 called for a presumptive six-game suspension for certain types of first violations and “a highly-qualified individual with a criminal justice background” to make or recommend initial determinations on discipline.
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The expectation is that the chief disciplinary officer will be Jones, who is a Marine Corps veteran, former U.S. Attorney and, most recently, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives before joining the NFL in April as senior vice president/special counsel on conduct. But his disciplinary duties remain on hold as talks continue between the league and the NFL Players Association, which filed a grievance over the revised personal conduct policy, citing a lack of collective bargaining on changes.
“The role Todd was hired for is a direct violation of the CBA,” said George Atallah, the NFLPA’s assistant executive director of external affairs. “Our goal should be to change a broken process that ensures fairness and transparency.”
The union would contest any discipline handed down by Jones on the grounds only Goodell has that authority.
For now, Jones has been visiting teams along with Lisa Friel, a former sex crimes prosecutor the NFL hired as special counsel for investigations, to speak to coaches, general managers and security and player engagement staff.
“I went to the rookie symposium, and my message was real easy to the young men: Obey the law,” Jones said. “That’s the best way to stay out of trouble.”
The league recently completed the second cycle of its domestic violence and sexual assault education programs and is already working on the next edition, Friel said.
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It also continues to beef up its in-house team to run investigations parallel to law enforcement — another change to the updated personal conduct policy. Kia Roberts, a former assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, was hired as the NFL’s director of investigations. The league is in the process of hiring a digital/forensics investigator, too.
Friel and Jones noted some of the league’s investigations do not turn up sufficient evidence to merit discipline, though they declined to discuss numbers. “We’re just looking to hold people accountable when they should be held accountable,” Friel said.
Jones has known NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith for almost 20 years, dating to their days as prosecutors. They sometimes worked together in private practice on white collar crimes and internal investigations. Jones isn’t involved in labor talks, but he expressed optimism about finding a solution that ends the pattern of bickering and litigation that has followed virtually every high-profile case since last year.
“It doesn’t need to be as adversarial as the criminal justice system,” Jones said. “It simply doesn’t, because we have the same goals, and that’s to create an environment where our employees and the players can be successful.”
In a league with nearly 3,000 players on rosters in the offseason and more than 2,000 during the season, there were 68 arrests last year. The fewest in a year since 2007 was 64 in 2009. The highest was 80 in 2008.
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A University of Texas-Dallas study last year found the total arrest rate for NFL players was significantly lower than the general population from 2000 to 2013. But that isn’t reflected in public perception, particularly after a year dominated by focus on the league’s response to cases involving Rice, Greg Hardy, Adrian Peterson and others.
“When I do get the opportunity informally to interact with players, they’re very much aware of sort of the brand diminishment that a couple of knuckleheads may (make),” Jones said.
“We’ve got to get to a point where, if people are diminishing folks’ belief in the integrity of our game, and they’re not exhibiting the character and value that the league stands for, then there’s going to be repercussions. We’ll get there.”
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Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero