This is Lew Margolis.

Domestic violence and child abuse have stunningly supplanted betting lines, rushing statistics, and Monday morning quarterbacking for the National Football League. The league’s commissioner recently announced that the NFL would revise its personal conduct policies and provide resources for community domestic violence prevention and treatment. America’s sport, which apparently has tolerated such abhorrent behavior for years, seems to be making an effort to shine a light on the problem of domestic violence, a problem where light is an important antidote to the secrecy, shame, and ignorance that allow this violence to flourish.

The social, psychological, and cultural determinants of domestic violence and child abuse are complicated, as are the reasons that we do not, as a society, devote more resources to its prevention and treatment. I do think, however, that we would err if we do not at least ask about possible links between domestic violence in the NFL and the forces at play in big-time intercollegiate football. Football players do not suddenly become batterers when they sign professional contracts.

Some might argue that the violence inherent in the game of football increases the risks of this violence pouring out into other aspects of players’ lives. It is no coincidence, therefore, that college football players have been disproportionately represented among the perpetrators of sexual assault on college campuses. The risk of becoming a perpetrator of sexual assault perhaps should be considered yet another of the harms of big-time college football, along with concussions and failure to gain an education.

A second troubling link between big-time college football and the recent NFL violence scandals is the compulsive need to protect the special status of revenue-generating stars. Whether it is the acknowledged professionals in the NFL or the un-acknowledged professionals at UNC or Alabama or Florida State, those players are essential to assure the flows of revenue from fans in the stadiums or viewers for the ever more lavish television and other media contracts. Too many college players learn that their institutions are all too willing to remain blind to the conflict of interest between generating revenues on the one hand and assuring educational opportunities and expecting civil behavior on the other. How long did it take for the UNC Department of Athletics to report the brawl that injured at least one player while the team was provided the special and privileged treatment of being housed in a local hotel for summer practice?

The mission of great universities is to further our understanding of the flaws in our world and how to repair them. It seems that domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault should be added to the problems with big-time revenue college sports, problems that universities should be helping to solve, not to worsen.