Ray Rice

Rain

Surprised there is no thread about it yet."A massive outcry against the punishment ensured and prompted Goodell to seek out advice of domestic violence experts. On Aug. 28, he announced a sweeping new conduct policy in a letter to owners. The policy now dictates a six-game suspension for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second, with the stipulation that a player can apply for reinstatement after a year."So if this is Rice's first offense, why is he getting the indefinite ban..? IMO, what he did was wrong. I've made mistakes too, though. My sympathy for the victim is almost nonexistent. I mean, she MARRIED him. If she really wants/wanted out, now is her chance. Regardless, can't help people that won't help themselves. Also, did anyone see where 16 female Senators sent a letter to the NFL saying that the NFL needed a harsher domestic abuse policy? Because in the court of law, he got a slap on the wrist..Can I please reiterate that Ray was wrong. I'm not justifying that. I'm also not blaming his wife or saying she deserved it. I'm just saying I don't feel bad for her because she's not trying to help herself.

jlmarta

She's obviously willing to take some abuse in order to stay married to the golden gander.... Jus' sayin'....

YankeeMan

I've been discussing this in all my Criminal Justice classes. I am surprised at the number of young girls who say that it was OK because she hit him first. I tried to explain the power dynamic to them. This guy bench presses volkswagens, he is more powerful. Push her away, don't punch her!

That being said, I think the good Commissioner is in trouble. It's obvious now that the NFL did indeed have the inside of the elevator tape. He says he didn't see it. Yet in the New Orleans Saints bountygate case, he suspended the Coach for a year because, "Ignorance is no excuse." What comes around...

[Deleted User]

YankeeMan:

That being said, I think the good Commissioner is in trouble. It's obvious now that the NFL did indeed have the inside of the elevator tape. He says he didn't see it. Yet in the New Orleans Saints bountygate case, he suspended the Coach for a year because, "Ignorance is no excuse." What comes around...

Jay-Z didn't hit in the elevator. He protected himself but didn't even swing once, unlike Ray. Doesn't matter if she "hit" him first. He should act like a man.

You nailed it. They were given the video by the police I think (could be wrong). Either way, he either refused to watch it or watched it and ignored it. I doubt the rules apply to the Commish.

Eulogy

I kind if believe the commissioner. If he had seen it, he would have taken action, it would be logical that the video would come out sooner or later. Rice has a pretty stiff penalty, but he deserves it and it may make other athletes think twice about attacking their spouses or significant others.

Rain

Seems to be mixed messages.Court - Complete a program.NFL - Banned indefinitely (losing who knows how much money.) There is no video, but just the thought of what Greg Hardy did (and was convicted of) is horrifying."On May 13, 2014, Greg Hardy attacked me in his apartment. Hardy picked me up and threw me into the tile tub area in his bathroom. I have bruises from head to toe, including my head, neck, back, shoulders arms, legs, elbow and feet. Hardy pulled me from the tub by my hair, screaming at me that he was going to kill me, break my arms and other threats that I completely believe. He drug me across the bathroom and out into the bedroom. Hardy choked me with both hands around my throat while I was lying on the floor. Hardy picked me up over his head and threw me onto a couch covered in assault rifles and/or shotguns. I landed on those weapons. Hardy bragged that all of those assault rifles were loaded. Landing on those weapons bruised [my] neck and back. Hardy screamed for his “administrative assistant” (Sammy Curtis) to come into the room and hold me down. Curtis came into the room, grabbed me from behind and held me down. Hardy and Curtis then took me into the living room area. I wasn’t nearly strong or fast enough to escape. I begged them to let me go & I wouldn’t tell anyone what he did. They took me out into the hall, pushed me down & went back inside his apartment. I crawled to the elevator and ran into CMPD (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)"In court, the accuser testified: “He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me. I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said just,`Do it. Kill me.”My point is punishment needs to be standard. It really looks like (to me) that Ray Rice is getting a worse punishment because there is a video of what he did. I mean, before Ray Rice I had not even heard of Greg Hardy for any reason besides being The Kraken.

pelirrojo

Deadspin has done a pretty good job of covering this. They put together a list of other domestic violence incidents among players. Rice is just a poster boy who is being made an example of while players like Brandon Marshall who has 3 seperate domestic violence cases continue to play. Why the outrage now? The list included 56 cases out of ~1800 players. There is a lower percentage of domestic violence in the nfl than there is in society in general. This isn't solely an nfl problem it's a societal problem and hopefully this case will bring it to the forefront and provide an opportunity for our society to have an honest discussion about it. I hope it has also given some victims courage to come forward and for thier abusers to be punished accordingly. There is no place or time for abuse of any kind. Anyone who mistreats women and or children should be dealt with swiftly and harshly.

jimmyv723

He spit in her face twice too. You don;t hit a woman and you don;t spit in another person's face. The guy is a coward and unfortunately she not only stayed with him but she married him after this happened and then also defended him to the Authorities and the NFL. This type of stuff will never stop if the women continue to put up with it and defend these losers.

My Dad when I was real young tried something like this on my Mom and she chased his ass out of the house and divorced him. She's a 5'3" woman and my Dad is a 6'4" Man and she wasn't having any of that ***. It's just sad that some women stay with guys like this and think that they love them but if a Man loves a Woman he doesn't hit her, EVER.

Lee.mcglynn

Rain:

Seems to be mixed messages.Court - Complete a program.NFL - Banned indefinitely (losing who knows how much money.) There is no video, but just the thought of what Greg Hardy did (and was convicted of) is horrifying."On May 13, 2014, Greg Hardy attacked me in his apartment. Hardy picked me up and threw me into the tile tub area in his bathroom. I have bruises from head to toe, including my head, neck, back, shoulders arms, legs, elbow and feet. Hardy pulled me from the tub by my hair, screaming at me that he was going to kill me, break my arms and other threats that I completely believe. He drug me across the bathroom and out into the bedroom. Hardy choked me with both hands around my throat while I was lying on the floor. Hardy picked me up over his head and threw me onto a couch covered in assault rifles and/or shotguns. I landed on those weapons. Hardy bragged that all of those assault rifles were loaded. Landing on those weapons bruised [my] neck and back. Hardy screamed for his “administrative assistant” (Sammy Curtis) to come into the room and hold me down. Curtis came into the room, grabbed me from behind and held me down. Hardy and Curtis then took me into the living room area. I wasn’t nearly strong or fast enough to escape. I begged them to let me go & I wouldn’t tell anyone what he did. They took me out into the hall, pushed me down & went back inside his apartment. I crawled to the elevator and ran into CMPD (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)"In court, the accuser testified: “He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me. I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said just,`Do it. Kill me.”My point is punishment needs to be standard. It really looks like (to me) that Ray Rice is getting a worse punishment because there is a video of what he did. I mean, before Ray Rice I had not even heard of Greg Hardy for any reason besides being The Kraken.

video evidence equals solid evidence! Look at Kobe...she claimed rape and had sex with how many other guys that day?? As far as ray rice well he's a idiot but I blame that on how athletes are made. From the beginning they skate through life and college because they are good. I worked for a college and even met brian Westbrook before he was a major player. But most athletes in college are a sack of rocks and have no common sense. They aren't even book smart due to the fact they are not expected to be. I mean really in ray's line of work it's run and don't get hit. On fb people...women are sad because now his wife might have to work and so will ray. Boo fing hoo life is life we all have to work even if pay stinks! IMHO this would have happened anyways if non of this stuff happened! Look at iverson.

Rain

Lee, so are you saying that the video (Rice) is better evidence than a conviction in the court of law (Hardy)? Just asking, not saying you're wrong. Also...what is your thought on punishment? Should it depend on the amount and type of evidence?

Lee.mcglynn

Video is video it's hard evidence...but I really feel bad for him since I'm sure all he knows is football. The punishment I think is high and I think he should at Least be a consultant with a big pay loss. Really look at all the sports players that got away with stuff...they should all be shamed but it's up to the people to figure out when to start making them pay

pelirrojo

You feel bad for him? He should be a consultant? In what, how to abuse people? For ages now "jocks" have been able to get away with everything be it a failed drug test, criminal issues, anything else because they're good athletes and make their school/city/team money. It has to come to an end at some point. At what point do we value life/quality of living over how good an athlete is? I realize there have been many cases before his and that yes his punishment is far more significant than those before him, but I have no problem with him being banished and everyone after him meeting the same fate. This isn't an "oops". This is something that is habitual in nearly all cases. If you don't take a stand now, when? I have a hard time feeling bad for anyone that all they know is a sport and being a **** millionaire or having everyone in town swoon at your mere presence. Some of us have to work for a living, and while we're at it we realize that you don't mistreat the people around you.

Eulogy

Ray was given a lenient punishment from the courts, possibly too lenient, but the NFL can have their own punishment for bad behavior. It is the harshest punishment for this kind of crime so far but the NFL should have the right to bar players from participating in their league if they so wish. He made a "mistake", I'm sure one that he deeply regrets, but that shouldn't matter. The NFL has no obligation to keep him in their organization.

The3Stogies

These 2 have some problems but getting married won't solve them, probably make them worse. Now it's spilled out into the public and the public wants answers and an instant remedy or punishment. The company I work for has strict rules and code of conduct rules when you are not at work but representing the company, even after hours. I may do something that is legal but not in line with the code and be disciplined or even fired if they find out. This is pretty brutal and the NFL should already have rules in place to govern this behavior, it has happened before. Doesn't really matter when they saw the film, they see it now.

Does she have parents? Haven't heard from her parents on this, are they just being respectful or maybe this has happened before and it's old news. Or is he the cash cow they don't want to loose? Money talks BS walks, and Ray has lost some big endorsement deals out of this, those companies have rules too. Is the NFL stalling to gauge public opinion on this so as not to loose their cash cow?

Now Mr and Mrs Rice have found God, interesting. Put your head down and plead your mea-culpa's, give a big chunk of your precious cash to battered women or something then give your time, the most precious commodity, to speaking out against it. But more importantly learn from this and live like a man.

Redemption is seen not heard.

perkinke

This is part of a culture problem in the way we treat athletes. From the time they are small we treat them special, they are granted privileges and excused behavior not tolerated elsewhere. In football particularly in addition to that aura of "specialness" that breeds a significant amount of apathy to others, they are also trained to a heightened level of aggression that is supposed to magically stay on the field (there are several interesting studies about elite athletes having sociopathic tendencies). The surprise for me is that this is not a more common occurrence, and frankly it is FAR more common than reported because fame and money can cover a lot of problems. I remember in high school one guy broke his girlfriend's nose, cracked an eye socket and dislocated her shoulder and he walked out of the police station without even a booking because he had "potential" and the football coach was God in that stupid town. Her family received death threats if they tried to push the issue or called the state police or AG, and she got to suffer through pain, nightmares and lots of therapy.

What I find infuriating is why is the internal elevator cam such a big deal?? SHE WAS UNCONSCIOUS ON THE EXTERNAL VIDEO! What did anyone think happened in there? She decided to take a nap? Oh now we SAW it so it's a worse offense than if we just KNOW what he did? Be careful with the "She stayed so it wasn't that bad" or "she's a golddigger" rationalizations, I've worked extensively with DV survivors, they live in a wholly different reality that is hard to break out of. Think how hard it is to quit cigarettes, and they just mess with your body not your mind and soul.

Ray Rice, Steubenville, Michael Vick, the multiple shootings, Aaron Hernandez, Penn State, how many Florida State incidents under Erickson. It's not just the NFL that needs to wake up. And frankly, NO ONE who still subscribes to NFL Redzone, who buys a game ticket, supports a sponsor, or wears a jersey has a right to criticize the NFL; so long as fans continue to do all of those things heedless of player behavior nothing will change. Start boycotting and things will change because money is all that matters.

The3Stogies

In Saturday's NYPost: "If only Roger Goodell had used some of his $44 million salary to hire Lois Lerner, those tapes would have disappeared months ago."

clearlysuspect

Right or wrong, if I were Ray Rice's union steward I'd be having a field day with this. It is a very clear case of "dispaired treatment."

I personally think he's a dooouche of the highest degree. But there are plenty of dooouches playing in (and running) the NFL. They should treat all the doooches the same. Ray Rice's punishment was not in accordance with decades of precedence established by a long line of tolerated dooouche bags and that is why you'll see him playing again very soon if any other team chooses to pick him up. You'll also probably see him sue the NFL (or arbitrate since it's union) and win some loses in pay from them.

Martel

perkinke:

TAnd frankly, NO ONE who still subscribes to NFL Redzone, who buys a game ticket, supports a sponsor, or wears a jersey has a right to criticize the NFL; so long as fans continue to do all of those things heedless of player behavior nothing will change. Start boycotting and things will change because money is all that matters.

That's kind of like saying that anyone who votes doesn't have a right to criticize any problems inherent in the election system.

Granted, I might agree with you and, contrary to most, would say that not voting gives someone a greater right to criticize than someone who validates the system with a vote. But we love saying "you can't criticize candidates if you don't vote." What's the difference between that and being a fan?

clearlysuspect

Rain:

Lee, so are you saying that the video (Rice) is better evidence than a conviction in the court of law (Hardy)? Just asking, not saying you're wrong. Also...what is your thought on punishment? Should it depend on the amount and type of evidence?

Just so you know....Hardy has already been convicted of these crimes in a court of law. He has appealed the decision but he's still a convicted felon.

perkinke

Martel:

perkinke:

TAnd frankly, NO ONE who still subscribes to NFL Redzone, who buys a game ticket, supports a sponsor, or wears a jersey has a right to criticize the NFL; so long as fans continue to do all of those things heedless of player behavior nothing will change. Start boycotting and things will change because money is all that matters.

That's kind of like saying that anyone who votes doesn't have a right to criticize any problems inherent in the election system.

Granted, I might agree with you and, contrary to most, would say that not voting gives someone a greater right to criticize than someone who validates the system with a vote. But we love saying "you can't criticize candidates if you don't vote." What's the difference between that and being a fan?

One is a cop-out and one is enabling. Fans complaining about the NFL's bad behavior but continuing to buy the product is like complaining about a spouse's alcoholism but continuing to bring home the 24-pack every night. It's enabling, the power is there to stop it, or at the very least stop contributing to it (grew up with an alcoholic father and codependent mother, I know enabling :->).

jd50ae

Lupica: Big business and King of Beers flex muscle in NFL, Roger Goodell debacle

Anheuser-Busch, maker of the league's official beer, Bud Light, took the moral high ground with its statement Tuesday saying it was not 'satisfied with the league’s handling of behaviors that so clearly go against our own company culture and moral code.' Other sponsors — McDonald's, included — put the pressure on Goodell and NFL owners.

By Mike Lupica, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

So this is how real pressure is applied to the National Football League, by some of the moneymen who don’t like policies on domestic abuse and child abuse that seem to have been written out on one cocktail napkin after another. Now, some sponsors — and one, a real big one — speak to the league in the only language it really understands: the biggest beer company in the country, a fast-food giant and a hotel chain speak money.

First, Radisson hotels suspended its sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Peterson’s loyal team, after the team’s general manager stood in front of Radisson logos and announced that Peterson, indicted in Texas for injuries inflicted on his 4-year-old son with a switch, was being activated for Sunday’s Vikings-Saints game.

Now, Anheuser-Busch, which is tied to big-time professional sports leagues in this country as if hitched to Clydesdales, issues a statement about its unhappiness with the way its partner, the NFL, is dealing with star players hitting their girlfriends and their children. McDonald’s followed suit with a similar statement.

clearlysuspect

I find it a little ironic that Budweiser is speaking out against domestic violence while a bunch of men are probably gonna drink a 12 pack of. Buds and beat their wives tonight.

Not that Budweiser has any control over that, still ironic.

clearlysuspect

Definitely agree with the sponsors. Glad they spoke up and put some real pressure on these dooouche bags in the NFL. What a complete @$$tard AP is. Anyone else see the pictures of what he did to his son?? That's total BS. My daughter's know we don't mess around. They can get a spanking real quick, but lacerations all over the kids body??? That's just F'd up for real and takes a demented pr1ck to do something like that. With all the insurmountable evidence against him I can't believe he's not behind bars!

Vulchor

7 kids, 5 women, AT LEAST 2 abuse allegations-----and a "good christian". My hero....barf.

webmost

I don't get it. Ray Lewis said he took Rice under his wing. You would sure think that would have straightened him out.




Wouldn't it?

danielzreyes

.

danielzreyes

webmost:

I don't get it. Ray Lewis said he took Rice under his wing. You would sure think that would have straightened him out.




Wouldn't it?

Is this a joke? This is a joke right? .......... right?

webmost

danielzreyes:

webmost:

I don't get it. Ray Lewis said he took Rice under his wing. You would sure think that would have straightened him out.




Wouldn't it?

Is this a joke? This is a joke right? .......... right?

Nope. Not a joke. Saw Ray Lewis with my own eyes on a football talking heads show say how surprised he was cause he took the young man under his wing.

danielzreyes

Right ...... Ray Lewis? The guy who got away with murder Ray Lewis? Same guy right?

webmost

danielzreyes:

Right ...... Ray Lewis? The guy who got away with murder Ray Lewis? Same guy right?

Try this vid at ESPN : http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11490343

jd50ae