Ray Rice Released. This Transcends Sports.. What Thoughts ?

Wow
This ain't the NFL I grew up on !

 

After seeing the video I don't see how they could have done anything else.

 

Oh crap !
I hit the "enter" button + posted my incomplete thoughts.
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Back in the old NFL days.......it was Gambling.
Paul Hornung + Alex Karras were suspended......Joe Namath.
Kicked from the league ?.....NO.
Things have changed and the NFL has a lot of $$$ to protect image wise.
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A caller to my local sportstalk show said "What about Ray's kids + wife ?"
He said Ray was to earn 50 million next year or two.
I say "Let him go to Trade School + earn for his family that way.....like a lot of people."
Tough sh*t.
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BTW
He went to a local HS near my hometown.
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So....does he get back in at some point ?
Or does CFL call ?
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Did the NFL see the "newly" released elevator tape - along time ago ?
We - as Vegas Vets knew all along --- there was an elevator camera tape.
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What's everyone's thoughts about all this ?

 

I agree Baltimore didn't have a choice but what about all the other domestic abusers still on rosters? Do you think their incidents "look" any different? Probably not but they just were lucky enough to not have been on camera at the time.

I am interested to see the final suspension handed down from the NFL as he is suspended indefinitely now but under the new "more strict" domestic violence policy Rice's suspension should be 6 games no more no less as a first time offender. Anything more and I think the league faces legal ramifications and Rice would have a good case. However, they may be able to get him on similar claims as they did with Michael Vick on lying or not being completely truthful with the league in their meeting. This may warrant a longer suspension but mind you Vick's lengthy suspension also came along with a 2 year prison sentence while Rice is in a diversion program and will not see any hard time.

That leads me to the next point, beyond having his contract terminated or suspended by the league, how did the Atlantic County District Attorney let him slide with diversion? If they saw the same video I did, that is a felony assault and/or battery without doubt. At least according to what I learned in law school. Someone was a Ray Rice or a Ravens fan and let him slide on his crime and punishment.

As to whether Ray Rice plays football again, I would have to answer yes. He is too talented on the football field for someone to not give him a chance whether CFL or NFL but likely NFL but not this season. Look at a team like New England with a history of taking on "off-field projects" and has had a need at RB for quite a while, why not take a flier on a guy who wants a second chance and you can get for likely pretty cheap? Not to mention under the new domestic violence policy he'd be facing a lifelong ban if he slips up in that arena again. So the man will likely play football again one day but not for the $3.5 million he lost this year or the $9.5 from next year, more like league minimum around $750k (based on years in league) to the $1 million range. Still not a bad salary for someone that should have been serving years in prison until the DA let him slide.

 

I honestly doubt he'll ever play in the NFL again. A pro running-back's "shelf-life" has become increasingly shortened. Hardly anyone is drafting them anymore... they've become interchangeable commodities, except for a handful. His average per carry had slipped last year and many were wondering if it was a bad year or the start of the deterioration. Couple that with the "court of public opinion" and this guy's done. He'll be lucky to get a job bagging groceries.

 

I feel Rice should easily go to jail for a year for what he did. The way he struck her was simply unforgivable.

On the other hand, I don't feel like the man should have his entire life trashed, and that's what they appear to be doing. I believe he should be severely reprimanded, fined, even jailed. But permanently banning him from his ability to make a living, seems a little harsh IMO. Certainly a one year suspension is absolutely fitting.

The NFL and Ravens want to send a message, and protect the right's of Rice's wife. But she too will suffer, if he's unable to make a living as a football player. And it's doubtful any other company will hire him either. I believe he should be given the severest of punishments for now, but then be allowed a 2nd chance.

They gave Michael Vick a 2nd chance, and he killed countless helpless animals.

 

Doesn't matter what an athlete does on or off the field, another gig will come up because the consuming public are sheep. The Insert-Sport/League-Name-Here became a bazillion-dollar Enterprise owing to the consuming public's lust to deify jocks, no matter how cretinous they might be as people.

 

I agree with you, but I believe the "court of public opinion" with a video to back them up will be merciless on this guy. The video wasn't out for a couple hours and he was issued the proverbial "death sentence".

 

Like every other warm-blooded American, this guy has any number of other jobs he can pursue. He chose his course of action. If he works his way back to the league, so be it. If he bags groceries, so be it.

It's like the bullshit with the Heisman Trophy, which reportedly is awarded to "the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity."

Jameis Winston sure fits that. So does that bozo Manziel.

Hey, I'm a sports fan. I'm not some leftist professor from Berkeley who thinks a penny spent on athletics is a penny wasted. But we -- collectively -- get who and what we want. No one else is to blame. If the NFL has concocted the greatest batch of Kool-Aid in history, and I'd say it has, at least in the realm of sports/entertainment, people are CHOOSING to line up and gulp it down, spending a wad in the process.

Remember, in big-time American sports, it is better to hurt and even kill people than to smoke pot ... or bet on your team to win.

 

I agree with you that he deserved jail but thanks to the Double Jeopardy Clause of our Constitution he won't see that.

Also, I concur with the Vick sentiment. He was condemned very similarly by the public and shunned by teams but was once again accepted and acclaimed by a good amount of fans. I think Ray Rice can see another day in the league because his talent is immense, diminished or not he's still a top 15 RB talent and someone will take a flyer if he stays in shape and let's this pass.

 

Once he is reinstated in to the NFL, I hope the Pats pick him up.

One interesting thing, he is being disciplined twice for the same incident.

 

so in what job is it okay to employ an abuser? can he never work again? ray can't work in the nfl, can he be a doctor or a lawyer or a policeman or fireman? are those professions above having an abuser amongst them? I can guarantee there are abusers in all of those professions. does he have to work at a stable shoveling up horse shit or is that too good for him. don't get me wrong, he's a piece of work but I wonder how many non famous people out there in the last six months has done something horrible. do all of those people lose their jobs? fucking josh brent gets shit faced, wrecks his car killing a teammate, does 180 days in jail and now the nfl reinstates him but he would have to serve a ten game suspension. seriously, ten games for killing someone? I understand the nfl has to protect the brand but where do they stop. is it only physical abuse? what if you're just a piece of shit, can they ban you for that. I remember a couple years ago reading that Travis Henry had something like 14 kids with 11 women and wasn't paying any child support. he isn't playing anymore but that's just because he wasn't that good but he certainly would qualify as a piece of shit that doesn't project a likable image for the nfl. I guess I'm just tired of hearing about it. the guy made a terrible mistake, none of us know what led up to it. everybody has a breaking point. personally, married 30 years, I haven't met that breaking point but I'm sure everybody's is different. had to actually turn off espn radio today. Greenberg went on and on about it then Cowherd went on and on about it. Would like to see someone dig up some stuff on them and throw it out there. Once again I reiterate, Ray Rice is a freaking moron, I just want to know what job is out there that is okay for him to have.

 

Easy answer....the NFL. That's why you pay your players union fees. :evillaugh

 

I think he can walk it back if he wants since this girl was still planning to marry him. I'm sure she considers him a meal ticket and will do whatever she can to make sure he plays.

They can sit down together for a big Diane Sawyer type prime time interview and he can apologize. He can treat it as a learning experience and example that domestic violence is never right and seek redemption. She can be by his side and talk about working past this. Then set up a charity for abused women and go around to speak out against it and as someone who is reformed.

The NFL is a business that relies on public perception, so the court of public opinion is all that matters. He needs to find a way to get the public to forgive him, the legal issues are irrelevant.

 

This situation was handled poorly from the start. And the NFL, who wanted to sweep it under the rug, has about a truckload of eggs on their faces. Goodell is all about "protecting the shield" and they tried to make this go away.

Their investigation was a joke. Their two game suspension was a joke. The fact that the prosecutors and judge allowed a plea deal is a joke.

The NFL has the ability to thoroughly investigate any situation with the help of law enforcement. Even IF the police or casino would not allow the NFL to get their hands on the full tape then they could have gotten it through Rice's attorney since that, being evidence, is made available to a legal team. The NFL should have pushed for that. I mean...they were in one of the most heavily videotaped places in this country...a casino.

Goodell, after the blowback he got for the cheap two game suspension, then came out with the updated domestic violence policy with the six games and the indefinite suspensions. Too late, Rog.

I am glad he is suspended indefinitely and i am glad he was released. If any one of us on this message board were videotaped throttling our significant other in a Vegas casino do you think we'd get off with probation? No shot.

Do I think this should be a cause for him to not have a shot at redemption? No. I believe in second chances and I believe in rehabilitation and paying your debt to society for the crimes committed. But he must pay for it. He must undergo whatever counseling or therapy is asked of him. His days in the NFL may be over but he should still be able to live a productive life.

If this was handled properly from the beginning then the backlash that we are seeing today would not be as severe. But because the NFL and the Ravens tried to sweep this one under the rug they deserve every ounce of criticism they are receiving.

The Ravens also tweeted, and subsequently deleted the tweet today, that his then-fiancee apologized for her role in the incident.

Carve's link is a good one and it shows how unequal and truly fucked out justice system is. Another example would be NFL players (or other professional athletes/executives/moneyed folks) who get off light for killing people while drunk driving. Josh Brent of the Cowboys killed a teammate - light ass sentence. Remember Leonard Little? Got off easy.

 

What worries and scares me is the fact that the woman still married him. But, now that Rice will not be making the millions he could have made, will she rethink being married to him?.

 

I thought she already married him. When he knocked her out, she did not see stars, she saw $$$$$ signs.

 

Saw the videotape today and was horrified. Could not believe she married him after that. Likely not the first time (or the last) he did that.

A huge problem with criminally prosecuting him was the fact that his then fiancee and now wife would not cooperate with law enforcement. Even with the videotape its pretty hard to prosecute someone when the victim refuses to cooperate and in fact decides to stand by her man. Unfortunately that happens in a lot of domestic abuse cases.

 

I wasn't really following this much, but after reading more about it and seeing the full video right now I'd like to take back my comments about him being able to walk it back. I should have known more about it before posting.

I didn't realize how long ago this happened, he's already had time to try and walk it back, I thought it was more recent. And the video clip I saw earlier only showed from where she ran up to hit him and he knocked her out. Not that it would justify what he did, but it made it look like she started going after him before he hit her. But seeing the full video he just hit her out of nowhere when they first got in the elevator, then she jumped towards him and he knocked her out.