Did The NFL Do The Right Thing In The Ray Rice Case?

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is washed up in the NFL. He finally got what he deserved. Rice, the former running back for the Baltimore Ravens, was suspended indefinitely by the Ravens — and the NFL — after a disturbing video emerged showing a cold and brutal Rice punching his then-fiancée in the head and knocking her unconscious in a hotel elevator in Atlantic City seven months ago.

It was a hard video to watch as Rice punches Janay Rice, now his wife, so hard that she falls to the floor where she remained motionless for a short time. And what was equally troubling was watching Rice drag her out of the elevator like a sack of potatoes and left her lying on the floor. He showed absolutely no compassion or remorse, although he has since apologized for his behavior. Rice is fortunate he is not in jail. The legal system allowed Rice to roam free and the NFL only suspended him for two games – which explains a lot about how the American legal system and the NFL values women and manages domestic violence cases.

Hitting a woman is absolutely unacceptable and an NFL player who strikes a woman, in my view, should be automatically and immediately suspended indefinitely. No discussion. No appeal. No arbitration. Just pack up and get out.

“We have a lot of people praying for us,” Rice, 27, told ESPN Tuesday. “I have to be there for (Janay) and my family right now and work through this.”

I didn’t watch the video alone – I reviewed it with my 17-year-old daughter, Ariane, who will be off to college next year and away from home. As we watched the video together, she covered her mouth and cringed while watching Rice knock his then fiancé out cold. As a father, I talked to my daughter about domestic violence, how many men who hit women once often repeat their violent behavior despite promises to stop and seek counseling.

I also told her that verbal abuse from men sometimes leads to physical abuse. It’s a dangerous cycle and a conversation every father must have with their daughters, which, perhaps, includes President Barack Obama. Last year, President Obama signed the third reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The legislation also expands housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, and directs resources towards improving the criminal justice response to sexual assault.

“The President is the father of two daughters.  And like any American, he believes that domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday. “Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that’s true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors.  Stopping domestic violence is something that’s bigger than football – and all of us have a responsibility to put a stop to it.”

And even though Janay Rice did absolutely nothing to deserve being knocked out by Ray Rice, I question why she married a man who leveled her with a blow so forceful that it could have stopped a 200-pound man in his tracks. But Janay Rice is not remaining silent. She released a statement on Instagram Tuesday letting the nation know she is staunchly supporting her husband.

“I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend,” Janay Rice wrote. “But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare in itself. No one knows the pain that [the] media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his a– off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific.” “THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don’t you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!”

Janay Rice is experiencing intense emotional pain. I hope for her sake that Ray Rice has divorced his demons so Janay will never experience any more physical pain from Ray’s fists. In the meantime, Ray Rice will spend Sundays watching NFL football on television instead of from his usual ground-level view from the field. This is a case where the punishment actually fits the crime.

What do you think?

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