Detective: Domestic violence increases during football season

A woman told police her nose was broken and she was knocked out.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- It's not uncommon for a man to beat his wife or girlfriend when the Pittsburgh Steelers or Cleveland Browns lose, a detective says.
The first reported case of such domestic violence of this football season came early Monday shortly after the Browns lost to the Baltimore Ravens, said Detective Sgt. Delphine Baldwin Casey. As a member of the police department's Crisis Intervention Unit, she knows from experience it won't be the last.
"I go through this every football season; it used to be just Super Bowl Sunday, but no longer," Casey said. "People need to think twice and communicate -- there's no excuse for physical violence on either side."
Casey recalled one year when the Browns lost by a field goal to Pittsburgh, and a Browns fan beat his wife and kicked the dog.
Sunday's loss
The Browns lost Sunday to the Ravens, 26-21, in an unusual night game in Cleveland that ended at 11:47 p.m.
At 12:10 a.m. Monday, Patrolmen Tony Vitullo and Jay Fletcher were sent to Randy's Bar, 1204 Salt Springs Road, regarding a fight.
The officers arrested Randy Velez, 53, of that address, on a charge of domestic violence, a misdemeanor. At arraignment Monday in municipal court, Magistrate Anthony Sertick set bond at $2,500, allowing 10 percent to be paid. Velez will be back in court Oct. 29.
Velez and his 49-year-old live-in girlfriend got into an argument because he was upset about the Browns' loss, the woman told police.
The argument became physical and Velez punched his girlfriend in the head several times and kicked her, reports show. She also said she was knocked out for a short while.
She was checked by an ambulance crew but refused treatment, police said. A photograph of the woman, whose nose was cut and bleeding, will be used as evidence.
The woman filled out a domestic violence report and described the nature of her injuries this way: "He beat me up!!! Broke my nose -- used force against me!!!"
Casey said domestic violence related to football games often involves heavy drinking or heavy betting that affects household finances.
The violence is often underreported because women are embarrassed to say it happened because of a football game, she said. "They'll say, 'Sgt. Casey, I know this sounds silly, I took the remote and changed the station' or 'I didn't want to wait on him and his friends.' "
Coincidentally, October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Sojourner House Domestic Violence Program sponsored a candlelight vigil Monday to remember domestic violence victims.
Sometimes the solution for women is to either get involved and watch the game or do something else with friends, Casey said. Women can resent having to wait on men by fetching beer and food -- they feel subservient, Casey said.
Women can be the aggressors and attack their mates, Casey said.