What a crazy season this has been. Ray Rice. Ray McDonald. Adrian Peterson. Greg Hardy. Just saying those names and immediately think about their recent issues off the field. Domestic violence, child abuse, bullying and there are a ton of other players out there with DUIs, drug use and many other crimes.

I am not sure what is going on. I don’t remember this many news hits of NFL players causing trouble when I was a kid. Maybe there were but it wasn’t as public. Or maybe it’s because we live in an age where these common mishaps are just more accessible and easier to expose.

But why are these athletes screwing up? Was it something from their upbringing? Is it the fame and fortune? What is making them act the way they do?

Is it the macho culture we’ve enforced in the league? This kind of dominance identity sometimes carry over after the game. That might lead to why players think their invincible. Maybe that’s why they think they drive even though they’ve been drinking. Or maybe the fame leads them to think that they can get away with things — or try things they might never thought possible five years ago.

I don’t know how it is being a young, famous, rich athlete. I have no idea how that kind of abundance can change the way someone thinks. Invincibility is scary.

This isn’t to justify any of these wrongdoings. All these recent happenings are disgusting. But I want to understand more of why these wrongdoings are happening and why so much more frequently. Can we find the root of these problems?

It’s not that simple. And I don’t think we will really be able to pinpoint it to one thing. I don’t even think it is one thing.

There’s an ongoing problem. And the longer we wait to find a solution, the more ugly weeks of news we will have to endure in the future for this league. This is happening a way lot more than I ever expected.