A few months ago, a security camera caught Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his unconscious fiancee out of an elevator. It appeared to be a clear case of domestic abuse, which the Rices didn’t deny. Shortly after the video went viral, Ray Rice offered a press conference apology that attempted to turn the event into a heartwarming learning moment that made him into a better man. (Most people weren’t buying it.)
And now the official word from the NFL has come down, and Rice’s extreme, videotaped, undenied example of domestic abuse is being punished with… a two-game suspension. As one ESPN blogger noted, “Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued longer suspensions for pot smoking, taking Adderall, DUI, illegal tattoos, dogfighting and eating a protein bar thought to be on the NFL’s approved list.”
It was heartening, at least, to see many sports bloggers from GQ to ESPN decry Rice’s lenient punishment, and take a stand against the NFL’s domestic violence problem. All I know is, while I’ll be cheering for the Ravens this upcoming football season (of course), I won’t be cheering for Ray Rice.
Rachel: it is good to know that you have more information than the police, the prosecutor, the NFL, and casino where this occurred, since every one of those agencies determined that there was no criminal act in this situation. And FYI, documented domestic physical abuse of any kind IS a criminal act. Of course, since there was “no denial” it is a mystery why Mr. Rice was not locked-up for years. I mean a lack of denial is the same as committing the criminal act right there in the courtroom in front of the judge and jury, right?
Oh, wait. What if the factual scenario actually involved the young lady attacking Mr. Rice? What if she was, indeed, punching and cursing and kicking Mr. Rice when she slipped, fell, and hit her head? Completely implausible? Look up recent video of Jay-Z and sister-in-law. If the aforementioned scenario is what actually happened, might not Mr. Rice have failed to deny the allegations because he did not want to cause further embarrassment to his fiance? You know, perhaps he “took it on the chin” in more ways than one. Nah, that is probably completely impossible, right? I mean Mr. Rice is positively capable of hitting a woman, but there is no way that he would have the ability to take the blame for an action committed by a person he cares about. That cannot possibly be the case, and should be immediately discarded from consideration.
Is the scenario I presented mostly conjectural? Yes. But you know what, so is the scenario that YOU present in your brief, minimally researched three paragraphs. What is interesting is that as a writer (reporter?) who should have basic analytical skills, you fail to acknowledge or, perhaps, even recognize your conjecture. Instead, you imply that people should be convicted on the basis of public opinion rather than facts. I am thankful that your role in the judicial system is limited to, well, the position of uninformed commenter on an internet site. Otherwise, we would be convicting a large number of people on the basis of “well, I heard” and “worst case scenario” and “that guy’s a football player and much bigger than her, so he must have cold-cocked the lady.”
Perhaps, we should focus on prosecuting the thousands of actual documented cases of physical and emotional abuse that occur in this city rather than attempting to pillory a famous figure on the basis of “appearances,” eh? Or is it that you think “making a statement” on an important issue is more important than actual guilt?
First of all, I’m clearly NOT a judge, jury, police officer, or prosecutor; I’m a writer stating my own opinion — as you are in your comment. Your hypothetical take on the situation is different from mine, and we both have the right to our own opinions.
Second of all, plenty of people commit criminal acts and are not charged/convicted (and plenty of innocent people get convicted of things they didn’t do, too!). I have no power to convict or harm Ray Rice in any way, except to in my own small way say that I’m extremely disappointed by what I believe to be his actions.
The post is clearly framed as my own first-person take on the situation. I understand if my opinion makes you upset, but it’s just that — my opinion.