Ray Rice Reiterates Desire to Play Football

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice stated Thursday he's still hoping for another opportunity to prove himself in the NFL.

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk passed along comments Rice made during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. He made it clear his desire to get back on the football field remains strong despite the fact he hasn't had any chances since his domestic-violence incident came to light.

"I do want to play football again, and I'm not ready to give up," Rice said.

The 28-year-old back also discussed wanting a chance to join a team before the season, but no offers ended up coming his way.

"I would have loved to be in a training camp, learn an offense and things like that," Rice said.

The Dan Patrick Show provided the full exchange:

The biggest issue is the video of the incident involving Rice's then-fiancee Janay Palmer (now his wife), which is still etched in the minds of many. Although the charges were dismissed after a pretrial intervention program and he has tried to raise awareness about the issue, his reputation isn't cleared.

In turn, any team that signs Rice would face media scrutiny and a potential public backlash.

Then, there's his on-field production. He averaged barely over three yards per carry with the Ravens in 2013, lacking the explosive power he'd exhibited earlier in his career. So there's no guarantee he'd make a meaningful impact if signed.

So a team would need to take quite a leap of faith to give Rice another chance. It would need to prepare to answer all of the questions about why the move was made, while also having faith he can actually provide an upgrade to the offense.

That's why it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Rice remains a free agent, but that's clearly not going to stop him from seeking one more opportunity in the NFL.