Ray Rice Appears on NBC's 'Today' for Part 2 of Exclusive Interview

For the first time since his reinstatement into the NFL last week, former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice spoke at length regarding the domestic abuse case involving his wife on NBC's Today. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely, and the Ravens released him after video that showed him punching his wife (then his fiancee), Janay, at an Atlantic City casino surfaced in September.

An arbitrator recently overturned the suspension on the grounds that Goodell punished Rice for the same act twice by amending an initial two-game ban.

One day after Matt Lauer interviewed Janay, Ray Rice was the subject of Tuesday's interview while flanked by his wife and her parents.

The 27-year-old free agent wanted to make it clear that he had no interest in deflecting blame for what happened that night, according to Today's official Twitter account:

Rice has been under fire for several missteps in connection with this controversy. Both he and his wife were roundly criticized for how they handled a press conference in May. Janay was the one who apologized, and Ray now regrets that:

Rice also acknowledged that his actions didn't just affect him and his wife but also his young daughter. According to Today, he was remorseful for what his entire family has had to contend with throughout this ordeal:

As seen in this exclusive video courtesy of Today, Janay's father, Joe Palmer, described his reaction and eventual conversation with Rice following the incident:

Ultimately, the former Rutgers standout is just hoping for a return to normalcy in the near future:

Now that Rice is free to sign with any NFL team, the conversation has shifted toward his prospects as a football player. He is a four-time 1,000-yard rusher and was once one of the best running backs in the league, but it is unclear if anyone will be willing to roll the dice on him with his off-field issues.

The running back realizes there isn't much he can do other than wait for a team to show interest:

With that said, Rice doesn't appear naive enough to assume that being signed is guaranteed. His play had slipped significantly even before the domestic abuse that led to his suspension and release.

He averaged just over three yards per carry in 2013 and looked like a shell of the running back who made three Pro Bowls.

Per Today, Rice is prepared to provide for his wife and his family even if his NFL career has reached its conclusion:

It's possible he never plays in the NFL again, and at least outwardly, the running back appears to be at peace with that.

Rice has and will continue to pay the price for his actions, and although that may cost him his NFL career, he seems to have come to grips with the notion that he has nobody to blame but himself.

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