I think we can all agree that a collective “finally” has been whispered throughout the country today.
In a move that SHOULD have happened when the incident originally occurred, The Baltimore Ravens cut running back Ray Rice after a video showing him knocking his fiance unconscious in a casino elevator was released. He was also indefinitely suspended by the NFL.
After the news of the assault initially broke, Rice was served a mere TWO GAME suspension by the NFL and served zero jail time for the attack on his then fiance, Janay Palmer (she is now his wife). In fact, after his arrest for aggravated assault, Rice was accepted into a pretrial diversionary program which resulted in the charges being completely dropped after it was completed. And, so, the story of athletes ALWAYS being above the law continues.
The internet has been up in arms about the lax penalty from the start; but after the video hit the web this morning, the Ravens and the NFL in general have been bombarded with tweets and messages with fans and feminists airing their disgust with the situation.
Take a look at the video below. While the actual punch is gut wrenching, I find the portion where he haphazardly picks her up and dumps her on the ground like a piece of trash the most offensive.
Below are some reactions to the gruesome video from the Twitterverse.
Hey @Ravens: You're going to want to donate any and all profit from Ray Rice jerseys to a local domestic violence charity. Like, Yesterday.
— Will McAvoy (@WillMcAvoyACN) September 8, 2014
The @Ravens decision to cut Rice only AFTER this video came out just highlights how craven they were to not cut him in the first place
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) September 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/trenni/status/508987463730462720
The sad truth is @Ravens cut Ray Rice because of publicity, not principle. #NoExcuses
— Stacey Speller (@StaceySpeller) September 8, 2014
The new Ray Rice video is utterly disgusting. The @nflcommish and @Ravens should be ashamed of themselves.
— Jason Prinzo (@JasonPrinzo) September 8, 2014
After seeing the @TMZ video of Ray Rice IN the elevator…@ravens need 2 release Rice regardless of cost. If Goodell saw video..fire him too.
— Eye On Annapolis (@eyeonannapolis) September 8, 2014
That last tweet helps me to segue into my next point: did NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the Baltimore Ravens see this video when the incident initially occurred? Of course they are both claiming that they did not. They claim that, for whatever reason, the police only released the portion of the video where we see Rice dragging Janay Palmer on the floor; but were not privy to the reel of him making actual contact with her in the elevator.
TwitterIt was also said that Palmer was the one who “attacked” Rice in the elevator, thereby provoking him to knock her out. And, let me remind you, they conned this woman into apologizing for her “part” in the incident. So this begs the question: Did the NFL actually see this video and talk Palmer into victim-blaming herself, or were they truly clueless to the actual goings on? Many people went on record saying that, as far as they knew, the NFL had access to the exact same evidence the police did when handing out the two-game suspension. Not only that, but the description of the events given by Rice himself matched up with the events in the video. Sound fishy to anyone else?
https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/469918292061061120
NFL knew what happened in the elevator – the police report said he struck her and we saw the aftermath. Rice admitted it also. Cut today.
— Jane McManus (@janesports) September 8, 2014
More often, domestic violence takes place behind closed doors. Shouldn't have to be a video for there to be consequences. #nfl
— Jane McManus (@janesports) September 8, 2014
The point remains: whether she pushed him or attacked him (and, truly, she did neither. This is a professional football player; he sees FAR worse during routine practice drills) and whether the Ravens and the NFL saw this video or not; it took a pop culture rag like TMZ releasing the video for them to hold themselves accountable for their actions; or utter lack thereof.
After the video broke on TMZ and quickly went viral, the Ravens finally decided to cut Ray Rice and the NFL handed out an indefinite suspension. Don’t think this will be the last we see of him, though. After all, there’s always room for an appeal or forty.
The #Ravens have terminated RB Ray Rice's contract this afternoon.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 8, 2014
I love football and, as a Cincinnati Bengals fan, I may be a little bias against the Ravens organization in general. However, as a fan and a woman, I find it appalling that the well-being of a civilian is always overlooked for the betterment of the team. A sad and true fact that is surely not exclusive to the NFL. Athletes are granted special privileges for the entirety of their lives, dating back to middle school and high school. While these grown ass men need to recognize that the fact that they get to play a game for a (damn-fine) living is a privilege to be cherished; when we breed man-children that are never held accountable for their shortcomings, who is to blame, really? It’s a classic nature vs. nurture battle; and everyone but the NFL is losing.
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