Editorial: Subtract domestic and what do you have?

Rice had originally been suspended for only two games and earned praise from coaches and others about his behavior since his domestic violence arrest.

Video of the incident released at that point only showed Rice dragging his unconscious fiance — now his wife — from the elevator.

Since the release of the damning video, the Baltimore Ravens have cut Rice and the league has suspended him indefinitely.

A laughable headline in today’s Huffington Post read “NFL finally takes violence against women seriously,” but the reality is that the Ravens and Commissioner Goodell were reacting — and reacting late at that — to the bad publicity they’ve had since they slapped Rice on the wrist earlier.

That decision came alongside a season suspension for superstar Josh Gordon, whose marijuana use was causing problems on and off the field.

The reality is that the NFL and other sports leagues have commonly poo-pooed the seriousness of domestic violence and sexual assault among their stars.

We still need to ask whether Rice would have been treated differently had he not put three Pro Bowls under his belt.

We also need to ask Commissioner Goodell whether Rice’s violence has provided enough enlightenment for the NFL to consistently take a strong stand against sexual and domestic violence and levy real consequences.

According to some reports today, the NFL could have had access to the elevator security camera video but didn’t bother to obtain them.

Would the reaction have been the same had the subject of Rice’s brutal blow been another man or an uninvolved woman?

We need to take the word “domestic” out of this equation and recognize that what we’re seeing in individuals like Rice is vicious and unrestrained violence by a man at the height of physical strength against a much weaker foe.

Such actions by athletes are too often disregarded as a consequence of extreme stress of the sports spotlight or the alleged culpability of the other individual involved.

But the privileged and permissive attitude in the professional sports stratosphere means athletes suggests athletes aren’t expected to maintain personal control. Other individuals would quickly go to jail and lose their jobs at even being accused of such violent behavior.

As long as those athletes keep filling seats, most can expect a degree of protection from penalties for beyond what is ethical.

Sports authorities, including the NFL and others, need to make it clear to their athletes — stars or otherwise — they will be held accountable for their actions. They need to develop policies that actively discourage violence by athletes, not after the fact, but before they even put on a uniform.