By Parker Killenberg

The Atlanta Falcons waived Utah State linebacker, Torrey Green, after two rape charges and a separate sexual assault charge earlier this month. According to TMZ, Green had two separate investigations going on at the time of his release from the team and that the charges brought against him were the reason for his drop from the team.

“If he was yet to be proven guilty, it’s not fair for him to be cut,” Falcon’s fan and sophomore, McCray Kelly said. “But, it’s the NFL, and the Falcons did not want to be viewed as a team which supports those actions.”

Falcons owner, Arthur Blank, said in a press conference on Aug. that the Falcons “don’t want anyone connected to the organization who has those kind of accusations around them.”

According to the USA Today NFL Arrests Database, domestic violence makes up almost half of the violent crimes among NFL players, while it makes up 21 percent nationally.  In the fall of 2014, former Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice made headlines after a video surfaced of him assaulting his fiancé in an elevator.

Former Carolina Panthers’ defensive end, Greg Hardy, now with the Dallas Cowboys, was embroiled in a domestic violence case that claimed he assaulted his ex-girlfriend in the summer of 2014. This May, former San Francisco 49er’s star, Dana Stubblefield was charged with raping a disabled woman earlier that spring. Fifteen NFL players were arrested for charges of domestic violence between 2012 to 2014.

“More people in the media are paying attention to it,” former NFL player and Grady assistant football coach, Terry Jones said. “It’s not always the player’s fault, though. Look at the evidence before people start making judgements.”

While the NFL is attempting to limit the increasing number of domestic violence charges, the number of players suspected of committing violent crimes against women rose from five in 2014 to eight in 2015. According to the NFL Arrests Database, there have been four arrests made regarding domestic violence this year, one led to dropped charges, the other resulted in player dismissal.

In 2014, the NFL introduced a new personal conduct policy which highlights the treatment and counseling available to victims of domestic violence affiliated with NFL employees. The policy states that NFL players are “held to a higher standard” and must conduct themselves “in a way that is responsible.” Teams like the Falcons are implementing stricter code of conduct policies with immediate dismissal upon charges pressed.

“Once [Green] signed the contract, he had to make sure he was an upstanding citizen,” Jones said. “That’s part of the NFL.”