The NFL, the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlantic County, New Jersey District Attorney, Ray Rice and Janay Palmer Rice are ALL complicit
I remember the first time I saw Ray Rice play for the Baltimore Ravens
and I said to myself – self, I said: “Ray Rice is a nice little football
player.” He was, too. He was a complete running back who could run
the ball from scrimmage and could catch passes out of the backfield. He also returned punts and kickoffs for the Ravens. Again, he was a nice FOOTBALL player. The Baltimore Ravens won the 2012 Super Bowl and
Ray Rice was an integral part of them winning that Super Bowl. Before the 2012 season, the Ravens signed Ray
Rice to a 5 year, $40 million contract extension. Ray Rice was financially set for life and the
Baltimore Ravens had secured the services of a player they decided was very
important to the success of their football team. As good a football player Ray Rice was, it
turned out he was a DISGUSTING individual. I
will take that a step further. Ray Rice
is a COWARD. In an Atlantic City casino in February of this
year, he committed one of the most deplorable acts any man could commit: he violently
punched his THEN fiancé, now his WIFE, Janay Palmer Rice, on an elevator with a single blow that knocked her
unconscious.
Prior to this video showing Ray Rice knocking Janay Rice
out, the only video that was made available to the public was that of Rice
dragging the unconscious woman out of the elevator in a fashion resembling the Neanderthal Age. Rice was initially charged with 3rd degree aggravated assault. Rice's criminal defense attorney applied for pretrial intervention which is a remedy that allows defendants to avoid conviction if the defendants complete a set of court-ordered conditions. Rice agreed to seek counseling in order to avoid a
criminal trial and a possible prison sentence.
Women’s organizations and women in general were outraged by what many
considered a very lenient, slap on the wrist penalty. Women’s organizations and women in general
were outraged by what many considered a very lenient, slap on the wrist
penalty. Rice complied with the
agreement and sought counseling, MARRIED the woman he violently
assaulted, held a press conference and offered a public apology, met with NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell and accepted his penalty from the league, the 2
game suspension and reported to training camp with the Ravens and was prepared
to play for the Ravens on September 21.
That was until this video tape of what actually happened in the elevator
was released. The Ravens terminated his
multiyear, multimillion dollar contract and the NFL suspended him indefinitely
upon the video of the incident going public.
The NFL’s complicity
The NFL, after what the public was told was a “thorough investigation”, suspended Ray Rice for the first 2 regular season games of the 2014 NFL season. The NFL is all about branding and protecting the image of “the shield”, the league’s logo and a high profile criminal assault case by a prominent player on the team that won the Super Bowl just two years ago was the absolute last thing the league wanted media focus placed on. A multibillion dollar organization can’t be worried with such paltry issues as violence against women, right? Not when there are advertising deals, corporate sponsorships, television and radio contracts to negotiate, stadiums to build that comes with fleecing cities, counties, states and taxpayers into building these billion dollar plus facilities. A player slapping his girlfriend around is no big deal. Boys will be boys. In a reactionary move on Monday, the NFL withdrew the 2 game suspension against Ray Rice and suspended him indefinitely. The league claims that it never saw the complete video that shows Ray Rice punching Janay Porter Rice. How thorough WAS that initial “thorough investigation”, Commissioner Goodell? The NFL wants the public – YOU and ME – to believe it didn’t see the entire tape before Monday. I don’t believe that for one minute. The assault took place in February and the league handed out the sanction against Ray Rice in July. The NFL had FIVE months to conduct the “thorough investigation” and someone would have to be as CLUELESS as a new born baby to believe the league hadn’t seen the video until Monday. The NFL has not only tried to gloss over this Ray Rice incident, it has ignored a CLEAR pattern of violence against women committed by its players.
Currently, Darren Sharper, a former All-Pro safety with the New Orleans Saints is awaiting trial on multiple rape charges in two states. (Sports Illustrated: The case against Darren Sharper). On December 1, 2012, Javon Belcher, who played linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, shot and killed Kasandra Perkins, the mother of his 3 month old daughter, in the house they shared in front of HIS mother and then drove his Bentley to the Chief’s training facility and committed suicide by blowing his brains out with a gun in front of then Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel and then General Manager Scott Pioli.
(WDAF-TV, Kansas City: Police Release Full Report on Belcher Murder-Suicide case) On August 28, Roger Goodell announced a strong domestic violence nce policy with strong sanctions against anyone in the league who commits acts of domestic violence. (CNN: NFL toughens domestic violence policy with six-game bans)
Prior to that announcement the NFL had harsher penalties for substance abuse than it did for domestic violence. Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns was suspended for the entire 2014 season and all he did was get caught smoking weed for the second time. However, Gordon could be reinstated soon as a result of the league's newly revised substance abuse policy. For the time being, though, he is suspended for the entire 2014 season.
(Cleveland Plain-Dealer: Josh Gordon could be reinstated soon, with players set to vote on new policy Tuesday, per report)
The league's substance abuse penalty even reached the owner's suite. Jim Irsay, owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, was suspended for 6 games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He was arrested in March od DWI and possession of controlled substance charges. (Indianapolis Star: NFL suspends Colts owner Jim Irsay for 6 games)
Just three days after the announcement of the new domestic violence policy, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald was arrested for striking his pregnant girlfriend in the house they shared. He suited up and played in San Francisco’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The NFL has a clear problem when it comes to violence against women committed by its players. The league has failed to make it clear that behavior will not be tolerated. One simple way to accomplish that goal is to issue a LIFETIME BAN on anyone employed by the NFL – players, coaches, front office personnel, league personnel and officials – who commits an act of domestic violence. (San Francisco Chronicle: Police: Victim of 49ers' Ray McDonald had 'visible injuries')
The Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012. Ray Rice was an integral part of the championship run and prior to the start of that 2012 championship season the team rewarded him with a 5 year, $40 million contract ($24 million guaranteed).
Professional sports teams don’t make such a financial commitment to a player if that player is not valuable to their bottom lines – winning games, selling tickets and merchandise and corporate sponsorships. The team WANTED Ray Race to be a part of their organization. When news leaked of Ray Rice being arrested on assault charges, the team went public with the ceremonial “we support Ray Rice in this trying time” dogma. The Ravens, who also assured the public they would conduct a “thorough investigation” independent of the NFL’s, did not sanction Ray Rice at all. The Ravens were well within their right to do so considering he was employed by the team. They didn’t have to wait on the league to dish out a just punishment.
The Ravens did nothing. The signal the Ravens sent was clear: we need Ray Rice to play for us and whatever the league does will be enough. I also don’t believe the Ravens never saw the video prior to Monday. When TMZ Sports released the video, the Ravens had no choice but to release Ray Rice. Since NFL contracts are not guaranteed and are only payable when the player actually is on the roster, the Ravens saved themselves millions of dollars. Ray Rice did get a significant portion of that $40 million up front, he does keep that. In an awkward press conference Monday evening, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh fell on his sword in front of the press and took one for the team. Instead of Steve Bisciotti, who owns the Ravens, or General Manager Ozzie Newsome facing the heat, Harbaugh was dispatched to address the press and he failed miserably. The Ravens do not have clean hands at all.
The NFL’s complicity
The NFL, after what the public was told was a “thorough investigation”, suspended Ray Rice for the first 2 regular season games of the 2014 NFL season. The NFL is all about branding and protecting the image of “the shield”, the league’s logo and a high profile criminal assault case by a prominent player on the team that won the Super Bowl just two years ago was the absolute last thing the league wanted media focus placed on. A multibillion dollar organization can’t be worried with such paltry issues as violence against women, right? Not when there are advertising deals, corporate sponsorships, television and radio contracts to negotiate, stadiums to build that comes with fleecing cities, counties, states and taxpayers into building these billion dollar plus facilities. A player slapping his girlfriend around is no big deal. Boys will be boys. In a reactionary move on Monday, the NFL withdrew the 2 game suspension against Ray Rice and suspended him indefinitely. The league claims that it never saw the complete video that shows Ray Rice punching Janay Porter Rice. How thorough WAS that initial “thorough investigation”, Commissioner Goodell? The NFL wants the public – YOU and ME – to believe it didn’t see the entire tape before Monday. I don’t believe that for one minute. The assault took place in February and the league handed out the sanction against Ray Rice in July. The NFL had FIVE months to conduct the “thorough investigation” and someone would have to be as CLUELESS as a new born baby to believe the league hadn’t seen the video until Monday. The NFL has not only tried to gloss over this Ray Rice incident, it has ignored a CLEAR pattern of violence against women committed by its players.
 |
| Darren Sharper |
Currently, Darren Sharper, a former All-Pro safety with the New Orleans Saints is awaiting trial on multiple rape charges in two states. (Sports Illustrated: The case against Darren Sharper). On December 1, 2012, Javon Belcher, who played linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, shot and killed Kasandra Perkins, the mother of his 3 month old daughter, in the house they shared in front of HIS mother and then drove his Bentley to the Chief’s training facility and committed suicide by blowing his brains out with a gun in front of then Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel and then General Manager Scott Pioli.
 |
| Javon Belcher |
(WDAF-TV, Kansas City: Police Release Full Report on Belcher Murder-Suicide case) On August 28, Roger Goodell announced a strong domestic violence nce policy with strong sanctions against anyone in the league who commits acts of domestic violence. (CNN: NFL toughens domestic violence policy with six-game bans)
Prior to that announcement the NFL had harsher penalties for substance abuse than it did for domestic violence. Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns was suspended for the entire 2014 season and all he did was get caught smoking weed for the second time. However, Gordon could be reinstated soon as a result of the league's newly revised substance abuse policy. For the time being, though, he is suspended for the entire 2014 season.
(Cleveland Plain-Dealer: Josh Gordon could be reinstated soon, with players set to vote on new policy Tuesday, per report)
The league's substance abuse penalty even reached the owner's suite. Jim Irsay, owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, was suspended for 6 games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He was arrested in March od DWI and possession of controlled substance charges. (Indianapolis Star: NFL suspends Colts owner Jim Irsay for 6 games)
Just three days after the announcement of the new domestic violence policy, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald was arrested for striking his pregnant girlfriend in the house they shared. He suited up and played in San Francisco’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The NFL has a clear problem when it comes to violence against women committed by its players. The league has failed to make it clear that behavior will not be tolerated. One simple way to accomplish that goal is to issue a LIFETIME BAN on anyone employed by the NFL – players, coaches, front office personnel, league personnel and officials – who commits an act of domestic violence. (San Francisco Chronicle: Police: Victim of 49ers' Ray McDonald had 'visible injuries')
The Baltimore Ravens are
complicit
The Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012. Ray Rice was an integral part of the championship run and prior to the start of that 2012 championship season the team rewarded him with a 5 year, $40 million contract ($24 million guaranteed).
Professional sports teams don’t make such a financial commitment to a player if that player is not valuable to their bottom lines – winning games, selling tickets and merchandise and corporate sponsorships. The team WANTED Ray Race to be a part of their organization. When news leaked of Ray Rice being arrested on assault charges, the team went public with the ceremonial “we support Ray Rice in this trying time” dogma. The Ravens, who also assured the public they would conduct a “thorough investigation” independent of the NFL’s, did not sanction Ray Rice at all. The Ravens were well within their right to do so considering he was employed by the team. They didn’t have to wait on the league to dish out a just punishment.
The Ravens did nothing. The signal the Ravens sent was clear: we need Ray Rice to play for us and whatever the league does will be enough. I also don’t believe the Ravens never saw the video prior to Monday. When TMZ Sports released the video, the Ravens had no choice but to release Ray Rice. Since NFL contracts are not guaranteed and are only payable when the player actually is on the roster, the Ravens saved themselves millions of dollars. Ray Rice did get a significant portion of that $40 million up front, he does keep that. In an awkward press conference Monday evening, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh fell on his sword in front of the press and took one for the team. Instead of Steve Bisciotti, who owns the Ravens, or General Manager Ozzie Newsome facing the heat, Harbaugh was dispatched to address the press and he failed miserably. The Ravens do not have clean hands at all.
The Atlantic County (New
Jersey) Prosecutor’s office is complicit
You have to wonder if the prosecutor’s office was star
struck when it came to Ray Rice. He was
initially charged with a felony assault which is punishable by up to 5 years in
prison if convicted. Because he was a
first time offender, Ray Rice was given the option of entering a diversionary
program that involved counseling.
Successful completion of the counseling sessions resulted in the felony
charges being dropped. Had the
prosecutor not been so lenient and pursued the felony charges, both the Ravens
and the NFL would have been forced to act in a more decisive manner. Swift action by the team and the league would
have sent a clear message to the other players throughout the league. Was the prosecutor lenient because he was Ray
Rice, football player instead of Ray Rice, the truck driver? It is worth considering.
Ray Rice and Janay Palmer Rice
are both complicit
The
fact that Ray Rice punched his then fiancé Janay Palmer so violently that it
knocked her out and drug her out of that elevator with the finesse of a caveman
makes him complicit. Had he simply
exercised some self-control he would still be playing for the Baltimore Ravens
and earning millions of dollars. He not
only lost his salary from Nike he also lost his endorsement deal with EA Sports, the makers of the Madden NFL video football games. Good. This deplorable act need not go
unpunished.
 |
| Janay Palmer Rice |
Janay Palmer Rice is complicit. Before I get bombarded with email from all
over the place, please allow me to clearly stipulate one simple fact: Janay
Palmer Rice is the victim of a heinous and despicable act. PERIOD. However, she MARRIED her abuser AFTER
he knocked her unconscious on a casino elevator, drug her limp body off
that elevator, leaving the lower half of her body exposed on camera and for
anyone walking by to see while kicking her in the process. REALLY?
WHY? How could this
batterer be worthy of her even being seen with again let alone becoming
her husband? To top it off, she took the
extraordinary measure to apologize for HER role in being assaulted. By her marrying Ray Rice and then apologizing
for her role, she enabled the NFL and the Ravens to attempt to sweep her
assault under the rug. Janay Palmer Rice
was the wild card in this equation. Had
she NOT
married her abuser and insisted on the prosecutor following up on criminal
charges, the NFL and the Ravens would have been forced to act swiftly and
sternly. In addition to being the
victim, she is also the ENABLER. In comments made on Tuesday, Janay Palmer
Rice is STILL enabling her husband and, consequently, the NFL, the
Ravens and the prosecutor. My heart goes
out to this young lady. She needs
extensive and intense therapy. It is my
sincere hope that she receives the help she needs.
This is one big mess pro football finds itself in. To preserve the integrity of the league,
Roger Goodell and Jeff Pash, General Counsel of the NFL, should resign immediately, as should Ravens
General Manager Ozzie Newsome. Ravens
owner Steve Bisciotti should receive at minimum a lengthy suspension. Some have called for him to be forced to sell
the team and get out of the league altogether.
Don’t hold your breath. The chances
of any of those individuals resigning or the Ravens being sold or as good as
the chances of the Cleveland Browns or St. Louis Rams winning this year’s Super
Bowl.
Fat chance.
Peace, peace.
Craig Riggins
Facebook: The Riggins Report
Twitter: @CraigRiggins
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