Ray Rice Tape: NFL Chose Two-Game Suspension Without Watching Ravens Star Attack Fiancee
The Ray Rice tape depicting the Baltimore Ravens running back’s attack on his then-fiance has thrust a lot of well-deserved criticism on the National Football League (NFL), and this latest bit of info is certain to kick up even more.
It seems that league officials decided to suspend Rice for just two games without watching him drag his unconscious girlfriend off an elevator just moments after police said he attacked her, stating that they did not have access to the footage, even though most of the public had already seen it via TMZ when the league administered its ruling.
To put in perspective how egregious this punishment is, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, under this same leadership, received a six-game suspension for sexual assault charges that were dropped for lack of evidence.
While he only ended up serving a four-game suspension, that’s still twice what the Ravens star received, and he was caught pretty much dead-to-rights and has since admitted to doing it.
When asked about the head-scratching punishment, the NFL has had the audacity to stand by its judgment in spite of inconsistencies like that of the Roethlisberger case.
News that the NFL hadn’t watched the Ray Rice tape broke on Monday when Paul Pabst of the Dan Patrick Show revealed via Twitter:
Jay Glazer told us that the NFL offices have NOT watched the tape of Ray Rice/fiance in elevator.
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) August 4, 2014
Glazer said the the NFL did not watch the Rice elevator tape because the authorities did not give it to them or show it to them. — Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) August 4, 2014
Here’s the original Ray Rice tape as released by TMZ:
Ray Rice — Dragging Unconscious Fiancee… After Alleged Mutual Attack
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In Rice’s recent statement on the incident, he had this to say:
“I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions. My wife can do no wrong. What happened that night should have never happened.”
Rice also made sure to apologize to Janay in public, something he didn’t do in May during his first news conference about the domestic violence incident. He added, “I let so many people down because of 30 seconds of my life that I know I can’t take back. The one thing I can control is being a better father and a better role model.”
The incident between Janay and Rice occurred in an Atlantic City casino elevator the night of February 15.
Do you think the NFL should have watched the Ray Rice tape prior to deciding his punishment? And do you think two games is a reasonable suspension?
[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]
