The NFL has suspended Baltimore running back Ray Rice indefinitely after TMZ surfaced video Monday of him striking and knocking out his wife, Janay Palmer. Rice was released by the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the afternoon, hours after the second video was made public.
Ray Rice suspended indefinitely by NFL
In light of new developments, the NFL has announced that Ray Rice has been indefinitely suspended.
Rice was already serving a two-game suspension for the incident when the new video surfaced. Rice was arrested in February after being caught on tape dragging an unconscious Palmer, then his fiancee, out of an Atlantic City casino elevator.
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed down the suspension earlier this year, had come under fire for the mild severity of the suspension as well as the manner in which the matter was investigated by the league. Goodell since admitted that the way he handled the Rice matter was “a mistake,” and announced a new domestic violence policy before the season began.
The Ravens are expected to address Rice's situation during an 8 p.m. ET press conference. The team normally holds media availability on Monday afternoons, but pushed back the time likely in response to the circumstances. Curiously, the presser take place while the Detroit Lions host the New York Giants during the first Monday Night Football game of the 2014 season, diverting some attention from the team's statements.
Ray Rice Released, Suspended
The Ravens came to Rice’s side after he was arrested in February. Owner Steve Bisciotti extolled Rice’s character in an article on the team’s official site published in March.
“I’ve been on record of saying my definition of character is repeating offenses,” Bisciotti said. “If we’re all one strike and you’re out, then we’re all in trouble. It’s how you respond to adversity.
“Ray has not experienced any [adversity]. He’s just been lauded as the nicest, hardest working, greatest guy on the team and in the community. So we have to support him. I think we’ll be rewarded by him maturing and never putting himself in a situation like that again.”
The team will likely strike a different tone when it ultimately comments on Rice’s release. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports reported Monday that the Ravens feel that Rice had been dishonest about what transpired in Atlantic City:
The Ravens have cut Ray Rice. Told one factor was his version of what happened didn't match with video.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) September 8, 2014 See More:
