It seems not a day goes by the that the words "domestic violence" and the "National Football League" are not jointly spoken in tandem. On Friday, President Obama spoke out against sexual assault and domestic violence, at an event to launch the new campaign called "It's On Us!"
The PSA shot with the President and other celebrities is a call to action against sexual assault and domestic violence that has made its way into the headlines surrounding the NFL and its star players.
"We get a better picture of what domestic violence is all about." said the President speaking at the event.
Vice-President, Joe Biden, who also appears in the PSA, targets colleges where rapes and assaults occur on a daily basis. He said the campaign points the finger directly at the college campuses across the country calling it a "God-awful abuse of power."
The White House and the Obama administration is pushing for a nationwide effort that would play the PSA (shown below) at college football stadiums and basketball arenas across the country during their respective seasons.
"Young men need to show women the respect they deserve and recognize sexual assault and to do their part to stop it." yelled an impassioned Obama.
Obama drew upon statistics in his speech on Friday that show one 1 of every 5 women are sexually assaulted at campuses across the country. The PSA which also features celebrities, Jon Hamm from Mad Men, and Kerry Washington from Scandal, is prevalent at a time that the NFL and NCAA are dealing with sexual assault incidents of their own.
According to the White House, college athletes are among the main targets that their PSA campaign is trying to reach. "'It's On Us', is attempting to fundamentally shift the way society thinks about sexual assault, by inspiring everyone to see it as their responsibility to do something, big or small, to prevent it," a spokesman for the White House said.
"By getting men involved, we can change this way of thinking and create new social norms."
The release of the PSA falls on the eve of the news that Heisman trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston, currently under investigation by Florida State University for a sexual assault incident from 2013, has been suspended for tomorrow's ACC showdown against Clemson. Winston was suspended for yelling out the phrase, "F&$% her right in the pussy!" while standing on a table in the crowded Union Hall on campus.
President Obama concluded the event with the final remarks, "sexual assault is no longer something that we, as a nation, can turn away from and say, that's not our problem."
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