Tulane Football Team Takes a Stand Against Domestic Violence In a Moving Video

Members of the Tulane football team released a PSA this week that aims to help prevent domestic and sexual assault on campus. The video highlights some of the staggering sexual assault statistics facing women on college campuses and calls on men to take responsibility in their ability to curtail the plague.

It's pretty powerful stuff, and coming from the heart of an often hypermasculine football culture, it bodes well for current and future Tulane students.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, so the timing couldn't be better. The team also started #TUtakethepledge to build support for the initiative across social media platforms. 

Tulane has had its share of sexual assault allegations in the past both on and off campus. Earlier this year, a football player was charged with raping a female high school student when she was passed out in a dorm room. Niguel "Teddy" Veal, 18, was immediately suspended from the team but was later reinstated when the charges were dropped.

The PSA represents a step in the right direction and suggests the university is actively working to address and improve the atmosphere on campus, as opposed to ignoring it or sweeping it under the rug.

If there is a bright spot in the aftermath of the Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal, it looks to be the galvanizing effect it's had on the oft-overlooked issue of domestic violence. The assault itself, and the outrage caused in the wake of the NFL's ludicrous mishandling have served as a flashpoint, igniting awareness and bringing domestic violence to the forefront of social discourse.

It's good to see at least one football institution taking a proactive stance and focusing on the role that men play in preventing the abuse.