Baltimore Ravens and NFL's Release and Suspension of Ray Rice Is a Sham

The Baltimore Ravens' termination of Ray Rice’s contract and the NFL’s sudden alteration to its previously deemed-worthy punishment is not a sign of progress or justice. The prevailing feelings are still those of incompetence, immorality and greed.

On February 15 of this year, Rice was seen on a casino’s security camera carrying his unconscious fiance, Janay Palmer, off the elevator and dropping her motionless body on the floor. After statements were taken and a short investigation into the altercation concluded, Rice and his fiance were each charged with assault.

Once news broke of the altercation, many looked to the Ravens organization and the NFL for their expected stern response. The response by the Ravens organization was shockingly non-existent. The NFL’s punishment was a two-game, unpaid suspension—or vacation, depending on how you want to view it.

So there you have it. That’s the standard: The NFL believes two games for striking a woman out cold is justice. The NFL regrettably showed its players, fans and people all around the world that—according to them—beating a woman unconscious is half as bad as using recreational drugs (which is a four-game suspension for first-time violators).

After the NFL handed down its suspension and Rice finished his press conference to voice his disappointment, the story seemed to be coming to an unsatisfying end.

That was until a new video was released by TMZ Monday morning showing the events prior to the elevator doors opening and Palmer’s body being dropped to the floor. In the video, Rice and Palmer are shown arguing before Palmer swings at Rice, followed by Rice knocking his fiance off her feet and into an elevator railing where she is left unconscious. The video is graphic. 

What casts a dark cloud over the Ravens and the NFL is that each organization stood by their original disciplinary response—or lack thereof. Even in the wake of all the criticism and backlash the Ravens and the league received, they held firm in their decisions to not punish Rice further. It was as if they both convinced themselves that there was some underlying blame to be attributed to Palmer or the situation wasn't completely on Rice.

It wasn’t until they had no choice but to accept Rice as the culprit that they finally made an attempt to correct their obvious mistake. They apparently had to see Rice’s fist meet his fiance's face to completely reverse their previous sanctions. Now, seven months later, they have their irrefutable proof. The Ravens released a statement stating they’ve “terminated the contract of Ray Rice” and the NFL has suspended Rice indefinitely.

There is no self-defense rebuttal in this case when you look at the strength and size of Rice over his fiance. Rice’s actions deserved the harshest of punishments with ubiquitous support from the Ravens and the league office. 

It’s hard to put the focus of blame on anyone but Rice. But the fact is the Ravens and the NFL showcased the darker side of the league with their incompetence in dealing with issues outside of football, immorality in their lack of support for victims of domestic abuse and their unending greed to ensure one more win for the Ravens or one more jersey sold for the league.

Would you want your child to sport a Josh Gordon jersey—who has a curable, but serious addiction problem—or a Rice jersey—who has it in himself to beat the consciousness out of the woman he calls an “angel”? I think I’ll put my money on Gordon.

In an attempt to apologize to the fans of the NFL and victims of domestic abuse, Goodell stated in a letter to NFL owners:

"

My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families. I take responsibility for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values. I didn’t get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will.

"

Let’s hope Mr. Goodell meant what he said. Or maybe he’ll be joining Rice in the search for a new job.