Photo Credit: AP
It all started with a video. A video showing former Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his then fiancé Janay Palmer out of an Atlantic City casino elevator the day after Valentine’s Day. Palmer was clearly unconscious and one could only speculate just what had happened to make her that way. Rice and Palmer were arrested for simple assault, both were highly intoxicated.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Rice for two games shortly after, something that caused an incredible amount of controversy. Rice admitted that he had hit his fiancé and mother of his daughter, but his lawyer described it as a “minor physical altercation”. The video of her lifeless body clearly proved otherwise.
The Ravens stood behind their starting running back saying the couple was going through something, but both are good people. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti went as far as to say, “He’s just been lauded as the nicest, hardest working, greatest guy on the team and in the community. So we have to support him. I think we’ll be rewarded by him maturing and never putting himself in a situation like that again.”
After getting married, both Rice and Palmer sat down in front of the media to apologize for their roles in the incident. Something that left a bad taste in many people’s mouths watching a victim apologize for being attacked. The couple also sat down with Goodell and explained their roles in the incident and that it was an isolated incident.
This story exploded after the season had started and TMZ uncovered the elevator footage from that night. The couple is seen walking to the elevator having a heated fight. It does not end there with the couple contenting the argument inside the elevator. Rice is clearly seen striking his wife and knocking her to the ground. Instead of acting with compassion to see if she is okay, he picks her up under her arms and drags her on the dirty floor. Just hours after the video’s release to the public, the Ravens decided to release the running back. Both the NFL and the Ravens claim to have not seen the footage inside the elevator before and Rice was not forthcoming about what had happened.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti who supported Rice originally, changed his tune saying, “Yesterday morning Sept 8, all of us saw the video from inside the elevator. It is violent and horrifying. I immediately came to the office and called a meeting with Dick Cass, Ozzie Newsome, John Harbaugh and Kevin Byrne. The meeting was relatively short. The decision to let Ray Rice go was unanimous. Seeing that video changed everything. We should have seen it earlier. We should have pursued our own investigation more vigorously. We didn’t and we were wrong.”
After the footage became public, Rice texted Rachel Nichols saying, “I’m just holding strong for my wife and kid, that’s all i can do right now.” In an attempt to save-face, Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely from the league. He blamed the police for not handing over the elevator footage. The Associated Press claims they had proof Goodell’s office has received the video and watched it back in April. Rice appealed the indefinite suspension and won. He is now free to sign with any NFL team.
The incident opened up a much needed conversation about domestic violence in this country. Rice may have become the face of domestic violence because he was caught on video, but he is far from the only person to strike their partner unfortunately.
