Ravens running back Ray Rice has been suspended for two games for knocking his wife out in an Atlantic City casino in February. In addition to the very lenient suspension, the league has also fined Rice an additional game check for conduct detrimental to the NFL in violation of the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. The total salary lost for Rice totals $705,082. 

The NFL’s PR machine is really trying to spin this slap on the wrist as a firm act of discipline. Here’s some of the language I’m referring to:

In the press release issued by the NFL on the discipline-

“Despite the court’s decision not to impose criminal punishment, the Commissioner determined, as he advised Rice, that the conduct was incompatible with NFL policies and warranted disciplinary action.”

From Roger Goodell’s letter to Rice-

“As you acknowledged during our meeting, your conduct was unquestionably inconsistent with league polices and the standard of behavior required of everyone who is part of the NFL. The league is an entity that depends on integrity and in the confidence of the public and we simply cannot tolerate conduct that endangers others or reflects negatively on our game. This is particularly true with respect to domestic violence and other forms of violence against women.”

At the end of the day (the day before most training camps open and all NFL news machines focus on all that news), the NFL wants the public to think it really takes exception to violence against women, but please don’t focus on the fact that we don’t punish those perpetrators as much as say…someone who misses a scheduled drug test.

Here is a graphic illustrating what offenses get the most severe punishments from the league. Made by SportsonEarth.

Here’s what Rice had to say about the suspension: “It is disappointing that I will not be with my teammates for the first two games of the season, but that’s my fault,” Rice said in a statement. “As I said earlier, I failed in many ways.

“But, Janay and I have learned from this. We have become better as a couple and as parents. I am better because of everything we have experienced since that night. The counseling has helped tremendously.”

Rice will be allowed to participate with the Ravens through all of training camp and throughout preseason, as his suspension doesn’t technically begin until August 30th.

The Ravens held a press conference for Ray Rice and his wife Friday at the Ravens practice facility in Owens Mills, MD. It is the first time the Ravens running back has spoken publicly since being arrested for knocking his then fiancée out cold in February. Before I get into the debacle that was the Ravens press conference today, I should give a little refresher on the matter.

Rice was videotaped dragging his future wife’s unconscious body out of an Atlantic City casino elevator. Police also reportedly had video evidence of Rice punching her in the casino.

The Ravens organization publicly stood behind their troubled running back leading up to the trial. While many people said they should just outright cut him, they expressed their support, and said they were going to let the legal process run its course. And why wouldn’t they? Sure, that sounds reasonable, but cutting ties with him would have left them on the hook for $14 Mil. That probably had something to do with their decision making process.

Rice was indicted for felony aggravated assault, a more serious charge than he was originally charged with. In the end though, he avoided jail time by entering a pre-trial intervention program. Being a first time offender, he was eligible for that arrangement, and after successful completion, the assault charge will be dropped after one year.

Now that we’re all caught up, let’s examine Friday’s events. The Ravens hosted a televised press conference for Ray Rice and his wife Friday afternoon. During which time, the Ravens were live tweeting the event on Twitter. Rice apologized to the Ravens GM and coaching staff, as well as the fanbase, but never to his wife. Throughout the press conference, Rice read from notes on his phone, which may have made him seem somewhat disingenuous. At one point, he made a rather bad analogy that didn’t sit well with much of the internet using world.

“I won’t call myself a failure. Failure is not getting knocked down. It’s not getting up.”

The Ravens Twitter account echoed the statement. (The tweet was deleted by the Ravens twitter manager overnight, but I grabbed a screenshot).

Probably not the best choice of words after getting indicted for knocking your wife out in public. The tweet drew an outpouring of angry responses.

https://twitter.com/JoshYohe_Trib/status/469929209746718721

https://twitter.com/dianagram/status/469927129019596800

https://twitter.com/OldHossRadbourn/status/469931629449052161

https://twitter.com/HowardShatsky/status/469980588490121216

 

His wife, who sat stoically next to him at the press conference, apologized for her involvement.

https://twitter.com/Ravens/statuses/469918292061061120

A tweet which also created a firestorm on Twitter, as well as ire from some journalists.

https://twitter.com/TheTomasRios/status/470194699827826688

https://twitter.com/MarkEnnis/status/469929072777506816

https://twitter.com/natbaker/status/470220788964929536

https://twitter.com/EdgeofSports/status/469925336314937344

https://twitter.com/HotelFoxtrot/status/469921555674181632

https://twitter.com/1LonelyCoyote/status/470205860825006081

You get the idea. There are several hundred, if not, thousands of similar comments. Many of which are not safe for work, so I avoided including them. Here is the press conference if you are interested in watching it for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJBkG_kyqxI

Ravens team president Dick Cass said that he expects Rice to meet with Roger Goodell sometime in the very near future. On NFL Insiders yesterday, Chris Mortensen said that the team is preparing for their running back to be suspended for at least 3 games. Personally, I believe the league- the PR machine that it is- is easily swayed by public opinion. Yesterday’s overwhelming negative response would surely make their ruling harsher if that is indeed the case.

The arraignment for Ravens running back Ray Rice, which was originally scheduled for today, has been pushed back until Thursday according to The Baltimore Sun. Rice was originally facing domestic assault charges, but a grand jury indicted him on a more serious charge of 3rd degree aggravated assault- a felony. Rice’s then fiancée was originally charged with the same domestic assault charge, but the charges against her were later dismissed.

Strangely enough, Rice and his fiancée got married a day after he was indicted. If Rice is convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 3-5 years in jail. Personally, I’d be surprised if he served a day in jail if he’s found guilty. While the NFL can (and should) come down on Rice with a fine or suspension, they haven’t done so yet. The league is likely waiting for the legal process to run it’s course before deciding on a punishment.

The grand jury indictment asserts that Rice did attempt to cause significant bodily injury to his fiancée in Atlantic City on February 15th. You can view the indictment here.