The National Football League banned any draft prospect convicted of domestic violence, sexual assault, or weapons charges from participating in the scouting combine, according to Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations.

Vincent sent a memo in late January to all NFL teams stating, “It is important for us to remain strongly committed to league values as we demonstrate to our fans, future players, coaches, general managers, and others who support our game that character matters.”

While any prospect with a conviction or anyone who refuses to submit to a background check will not be permitted to attend the scouting combine or the live draft, they will be allowed to attend private workouts with NFL teams and still have the potential to be drafted.

Each February, roughly 300 players are invited to attend the combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to meet with teams, participate in position-specific workouts, and sample a taste of what being an NFL player is all about.

However, this new rule appears to be nothing but a public relations stunt to make the NFL seem more proactive in curbing the bad decisions so many players seem to make time and time again.

Any curious football fan with a search engine can quickly discredit the obvious smoke and mirror show being presented by the NFL. Only a handful of prospects go into the combine with a conviction.

The 2015 overall number one draft pick Jameis Winston had been accused of rape and was sued in court prior to the combine. However, he would not have been prohibited from participating in the combine because he was never convicted.

Most arrests and/or convictions of these crimes have come after the player was drafted. The majority of active players accused of any such crimes have the financial means to acquire top legal defense teams and often plead to lesser charges that would not affect their status in the league.

Notable offenders Ray Rice, Jameis Winston and Johnny Manziel were all drafted prior to their arrests and/or convictions.

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was a Heisman Trophy nominee, bowl game MVP, and broke numerous football records at Rutgers University before being drafted to the NFL in 2008. As a professional football player, Rice won a Super Bowl championship, was a three time Pro Bowl participant and five time offensive player of the week.

Yet, Rice will forever be remembered for the elevator fight where he punched and knocked out his then fiancee—now wife—Janay Palmer.

Following the release of the elevator footage of the incident and Rice’s subsequent indictment by a grand jury of third-degree aggravated assault, Rice received a slap on the wrist. The NFL suspended him for two games.

Ultimately, the charges were dropped and Rice agreed to attend court-appointed counseling. Rice is now a free agent after being released from the Baltimore Ravens.

The most recent allegations against an NFL player come from Colleen Crowley, the former girlfriend of Johnny Manziel.

In College Station where Manziel played quarterback for Texas A&M, he quickly gained attention with a record-breaking season that included momentous wins against Arkansas and Auburn. In 2012, Manziel won numerous awards including the Heisman Trophy, SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and Cotton Bowl MVP—all as a freshman.

After entering the draft and being selected twenty-second overall, Manziel’s career took a turn in 2014. He has been fined $12 thousand for an obscene hand gesture in the direction of an official.

While Manziel is no stranger to trouble, 2015 became his hardest year to date with a stint in rehab for alcohol addiction and allegations of domestic violence against Crowley.

Again, these problems would not have prohibited Manziel from entering the NFL. He has since been released by the Cleveland Browns and is a free agent.

If the NFL wants to see real changes, they could use the revenue from the overpriced ticket sales and create programs to educate prospective players about appropriate ways to handle the spotlight they are being catapulted into.

The downtime of the off season provides a perfect opportunity to find solutions for removing the scarlet letter the NFL and its players have been branded with.