The number of NFL players arrested has "declined significantly over the past year and a half," which comes after a 38% "drop in the number of players arrested for the entire year" in '15 compared to '14, according to league data cited by Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. The NFL data shows a 40% "reduction in the number of players arrested between Jan. 1 and July 31 of this year compared to a similar period last year." NFL Senior VP/Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson said, "We’re pleased with the numbers. But it’s just one step. We’re not satisfied." The data shows there were 21 arrests of players between Jan. 1-July 31, including six arrests for violent offenses and 15 arrests for non-violent offenses. That is down from 35 arrests during the same period in '15, when 11 of those for violent offenses and 24 for non-violent offenses. There were 42 arrests for all of '15, 11 for violent offenses and 31 for non-violent offenses. That was down from 68 arrests in '14, 20 of those for violent offenses. There were four arrests this year through July 31 for "incidents involving domestic violence and sexual assault," down from eight such arrests over a similar time period in '15, six in '14 and seven in '13. Arrests for DUI decreased to five this year from six last year, 13 two years ago and 16 three years ago. There were "no weapons-related arrests this year," after four such arrests through July 31 in '15, one in '14 and seven in '13.The decrease in the number of arrests illustrated by the league’s data "appears consistent with figures compiled by independent sources" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/4).
