Shortly after Ray Rice was rleased by the Ravens, the NFL announced he was suspended indefinitely.
The Ravens supported Rice as an organization in the immediate aftermath of the elevator incident back in March, but the release of this video changed their stance. The NFL said Monday that they had not seen the video during their investigation.
“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator. That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today,” the league said in a statement released to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.
Since Rice’s suspension, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced sweeping changes to the personal conduct policy concerning domestic violence cases. Violations regarding assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve physical force “will be subject to a suspension without pay of six games for a first offense.” A second offense will result in banishment from the NFL for at least one year.
Goodell expressed regret about the league’s handling of Rice’s suspension in a letter to NFL owners on August 28th.
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DrGeorge
September 8, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Hypocrisy reigns in New York these days. When the Ray Rice domestic violence incident first surfaced, Goodell suspended Rice for two games. The media howled; the NFL was too soft on Rice, they said. So Goodell, with one glimpse at the female fan base, ate crow and delivered public mea culpas. Then the Rice video surfaced. Goodell promptly suspended Rice indefinitely, just to let everyone know the NFL really is tough on domestic violence and believes beating up women is a nasty thing for grown athletes to do. The Ravens cut Rice. They wanted to make a statement, too. Now everyone’s happy in New York and Balitmore. Justice is served. The evil is swept under the rug and will soon be forgotten.
But what about Ray Rice, the human being? For years the NFL and Ravens profited from his abilities. Now Rice reveals he has a major psychological problem, and the NFL and the Ravens simply cut bait and act sanctimonious.
The Steelers William Gay has a better idea. He has seen domestic violence first-hand in his own life. Gay wants to reach out to Ray Rice and counsel him. He wants to fix the problem and prevent future abuse. Although I doubt that Gay has the proper training to give Rice the psychological counseling he needs, Gay’s heart is in the right place and his enlightened response is light years ahead of the punitive knee-jerk response of the Ravens and Goodell.
Good for you, Mr. Gay! This fan applauds you. And I hope Roger Goodell will soon visit with you on this subject and take notes. Because punishing Rice doesn’t address the underlying human problem– and it doesn’t fix the NFL’s PR problem, either.
Jay
September 8, 2014 at 8:54 pm
Well said. The hypocrisy is so blatant and ridiculously transparent that you almost think it’s the right thing…I mean, how can any entity with this much clout like the NFL allow itself to become a cliche of itself and a laughing stock in terms of hypocrisy? They feed off the naïveté of the fanbase(s) and hope and pray that their overall power and agenda setting can usurp any negative PR. Any smart fan like Dr. George (myself, and very few select others) can almost marvel at how absolutely absurd the NFL’s attempt is to look altruistic and upright in the face of controversy and adversity. It’s not borderline laughable it is laughable and I continue to watch because, sadly, I am an addicted fan who becomes way too emotional about the sport and my team (Steelers). To step back and be objective for a second and remove the rose-colored glasses would reveal that this league is beyond a joke and is being run into the ground by a politically over zealous commissioner and owners who want to continually manipulate the rules in favor of increased revenue.
sdean
September 9, 2014 at 3:14 am
Revenue not responsibility being the key, agreed. Roger Goodell has never been proactive as the “commish”. Knee-jerk reactions are his bread and butter. I don’t condone what Rice did to his now wife, but you’d have had to be dense to not look into the matter more before throwing out a two game suspension and THEN make an NFL policy. And it shouldn’t have come down to a paparazzi video leak recently to get the league to have made policies in regards to player conduct related to assaults, battery or abuse. Goodell and the NFL love to polish their money clips and push their product, but as avid of a fan as I am, it’s disgusting how they pick and choose “issues” based on perceived public opinion. The league can only gain respect back from fans when they stop making it all about the revenue and get some real football players instead of deadbeats. Tired of hearing how the kid with a Mazaratti came from a bad home but is a star on the field only to go home and be a criminal. Real men step up, anytime now. Pat on Will Gay’s back for recognizing that Rice has mental health issues, but let’s please not use that as an excuse for what Rice did. Millions of people have mental illness and don’t punch their girlfriends (or boyfriends) in the face and knock them out, then drag them across the floor. Get Rice help? Yes. Reward him by letting him play? No. In fact, let’s see the NFL take a stronger stance on everyone that commits criminal acts – not just Ray Rice.