Steep reduction in player arrests likely was driven by decline in DUI, marijuana offenses

The item on ESPN.com has a headline declaring NFL arrests are down “by half” in the 10 years since the Ray Rice case. It’s far from clear that the main reason for the reduction is the league’s aggressive crackdown on domestic violence.

The headline to the article from Xuan Thai of ESPN.com creates the impression that the reaction to the Rice case led to the drop in arrests. However, and as the body of the article acknowledges, domestic-violence arrests have not dropped but “fluctuated” since 2014.

In 2013, for example, there were 72 total arrests and nine domestic-violence arrests. In 2023, the first number dropped to 38. The second increased to 11.

So it’s not about a reduction in the types of arrest that sparked the use of paid leave by the NFL. Although the NFL didn’t provide the specific categories for other crimes, it’s fair to assume that there have been fewer DUIs and — more importantly — a dramatic reduction in marijuana-related offenses. Especially since marijuana has been legalized or decriminalized in most of the states where the NFL does business since 2013.

It’s a subtle blurring of the lines, one that flowed naturally from the league giving ESPN.com two numbers: total arrests and domestic-violence arrests. It’s unclear whether ESPN.com asked for more specificity and the league refused, or whether ESPN.com simply didn’t ask.

Regardless, the reduction in crime likely has more to do with the proliferation of Uber and the spread of states that have legalized marijuana. The reaction to the Ray Rice case, which nearly brought down the Commissioner, hasn’t reduced the number of domestic violence arrests. Which means that a drop in arrests “by half” means that the change had to have come from something else.