What is the NFL's rule on domestic violence? How much time could a player miss by breaking the rule?

Unfortunately, domestic violence is more common in the NFL than it should have been. With Richard Sherman's arrest on charges of domestic abuse dominating the news, it's a good time to take a look at how the NFL responds to domestic abuse.

Here's a look at how much time a player could miss and some of the other consequences that come with domestic abuse.

How much time could an NFL player miss because of domestic abuse?

According to USA Today, for first-case incidents of domestic abuse, the NFL automatically sets a six-game suspension as a baseline. However, they reserve the right to increase or reduce the length of the suspension as they see fit.

In 2014, Baltimore running back Ray Rice had a domestic abuse incident that saw him miss two NFL games. In 2016, Josh Brown was suspended for only one game for a similar incident.

Richard Sherman was booked for “burglary domestic violence” this morning in Seattle and was denied bail pic.twitter.com/qrZAhiLoY2

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 14, 2021

The NFL does not need a formal police investigation to investigate such complaints. In other words, NFL investigations are separate from formal police investigations.

Natural consequences for domestic abusers in the NFL:

Not all punishments are formal. Depending on the player's abilities on the field, their career could be severely impacted by having a record of domestic abuse. In the case of Richard Sherman, as he is 33 years old and in the last season or two of his career, teams may now see him completely differently.

With only a season or two left in his career, teams will be looking at Sherman as a player who hasn't had any big interest since free agency opened in March. Now, with a record and suspension looming, Sherman's value would have fallen even further.

While teams will overlook a criminal record for great players in their prime, they will not be for an NFL player with as little long-term value as a 33-year0old Richard Sherman. An arrest for domestic abuse could signal the end of Sherman's career or any other NFL player close to the end of their careers.

San Francisco 49ers Media Availability

Even when NFL players do not see their options getting massively inhibited because of domestic abuse charges, they suffer a drop in popularity. NFL teams that associate with players with criminal records have also suffered backlash as well. In the case of Ray Rice, he was removed from Madden 15.

Lastly, criminal records can affect players' bottom lines as they have to work harder to sell teams on them. The harder one needs to work to sell themselves, the less money they make in negotiations.