Why Jen Welter Accepted Floyd Mayweather's Invitation

Former Arizona Cardinals coaching intern Jen Welter, who is now the NFL's first female coach, has accepted Floyd Mayweather's invitation to watch his supposedly final career fight against Andre Berto.

Welter confirmed her acceptance of Mayweather's invitation via Twitter.

She claimed the invitation as a "phenomenal gesture on his part."

According to TMZ Sports, Mayweather is reportedly a big fan of Welter's, which is why he offered her ringside tickets to the bout. Mayweather also invited Welter to escort him to the ring before the fight, which Welter considers "an honor" and accepted.

The reason Welter, NFL's first female coach, accepting Floyd Mayweather's invitation to not only watch his final bout ringside, but to escort him to the ring, is such a big deal is because of Mayweather's violent past.

For those of you who may be unaware, Floyd Mayweather has a questionable past when it comes to domestic violence. He has spent time in jail on domestic violence-related charges and been accused of domestic violence on multiple occasions. According to Deadspin, Floyd Mayweather's history of misogyny expressed through violence is well-documented and reprehensible, "It extends over a dozen years and includes at least seven separate physical assaults on five different women that resulted in arrest or citation, as well as several other instances where the police had to be summoned in response to an actual or perceived threat from Mayweather."

Jen Welter herself hopes that her attendance at the Mayweather/Berto fight will raise awareness about the domestic violence issue rather than come across as a show of support for Mayweather. Although reaching out to the NFL's first female coach may be a step in the right direction for the undefeated champion, many people beg to differ. 

Here's Welter's response to the criticism she's received upon accepting Mayweather's invitation, as per USA Today, "I am very anti-domestic violence, and the spotlight that is shown on domestic violence through sports creates a possibility where we can say, 'No this isn't ok and we can change it.' Me accepting this ticket does not mean I support his past, but hopefully it is a way to be an instrument for change in the future," Welter said in a phone interview Monday morning. "What I do know is I certainly can't do anything good by rejecting what seems to be an olive branch."

Welter also stated the following, "Some people don't see it this way, but in my mind, knowing that this has been his history and something people continually criticize him for, for him to reach out to me, of all people. A woman who made it in men's professional football, with NFL guys, and the NFL has been dealing with some of these problems in terms of DV and was someone who was able to reach out to them, work with them, and earn their trust," Welter said. "I do have a doctorate in psychology and a history of being very positive with the athletes that I work with. That was how I interpreted it. Could I be wrong? Sure. But that's how I took it and how I am going into this situation."

Hopefully Jen Welter really does know what she's doing. What do you think?  Should she have accepted the invitation?  Or perhaps she should have told him no thanks?