Ray Rice's Wife Janay Reportedly Releases Statement Following Video Leak

On the heels of the NFL and Baltimore Ravens announcing more severe punishment for running back Ray Rice for domestic violence, there is backlash coming from a somewhat unlikely source.

Despite her status as the victim, Rice's wife Janay Rice released a statement via her private Instagram account and lashed out against those who have reacted negatively toward her husband, according to Chick Hernandez of CSNWashington.com:

Robert Littal of Black Sports Online later reported she deleted the post.

Rice was suspended indefinitely by the league and cut by the Ravens Monday following the release of a video showing him striking then-fiancee Janay in an elevator at an Atlantic City casino in February, courtesy of TMZ.

Warning: Video contains graphic footage

It is understandable that Janay is standing by her husband to some degree, but her latest comments appear to be the continuation of a disturbing trend.

When she and Rice addressed the media about the incident back in May, she took a great deal of responsibility for what happened.

According to John Breech of CBSSports.com, Janay didn't hesitate to shoulder part of the burden.

"I do deeply regret the role that I played in the incident that night," Janay said.

Rice was initially suspended for just two games, which led to a huge amount of backlash from those within and outside the NFL. That ultimately led to commissioner Roger Goodell establishing a firm policy against domestic violence.

Even so, many were unsatisfied with the NFL's reactive nature. The league had no choice but to take greater action against Rice once the second video was released, but it still left many wondering what took so long for the NFL to get it right.

According to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun, the league released a statement saying that the video wasn't made available until Monday:

It can be argued that Janay is being indirectly punished to some degree since her husband is losing his livelihood, but action needed to be taken against him. The NFL had to make it clear once and for all that domestic violence will not be tolerated.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter