In its pregame show and during the broadcast, CBS dealt with the Ray Rice controversy pretty well, discussing the issue and length and hitting on key points during the game.
CBS has a few personalities on the set and in the booth, but the one known for his calm tone had the boldest comment on the whole situation.
Play-by-play man Jim Nantz, whose soothing voice is a natural fit during his annual assignment at the Masters golf tournament, introduced a timeline graphic by saying because of the Rice ordeal this is "arguably the darkest week in the history of the league." That's a heck of a statement.
[Timeline: Yahoo Sports’ complete coverage of the Ray Rice incident and fallout]
Do you think Nantz is right, or was he being overly dramatic?
Consider that in recent years the NFL has dealt with some horrendous ordeals. Last year Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested at his home and charged with first-degree murder. In 1999, Panthers receiver Rae Carruth was arrested after he fled from the law and was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after his pregnant girlfriend was shot and killed. In 2012, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend and then went to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself. There have been a few suicides from former players who had dealt with brain injuries, most notably future Hall of Famer Junior Seau. In 1994 O.J. Simpson, one of the most famous players in league history, was charged with two murders and led a slow speed chase with police that was one of the highest rated moments in television history. Former commissioner Pete Rozelle made a terrible decision in 1963 to play games two days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

There are countless other tragedies, off-field problems and issues like player strikes that have brought shame to the NFL. Does this week, with the release of the video of Rice punching and knocking out his wife (and the NFL's mishandling of the situation, from when the incident happened in February until now), really compare to some of those other horrible events in NFL history?
At very least, the fact that this week was even mentioned in that group by one of the most famous announcers in sports, who isn't known for ridiculous hyperbole, says something about how terrible this week has been for everyone involved.*
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab