Evelyn Lozada Angered By Ray Rice Video, Encourages Janay Rice To Leave
Evelyn Lozada knows all too well about domestic violence. When she took to Twitter over the Ray Rice video, it was a long time coming.
That video has me PISSED THE F*** OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Lozada’s angst comes on the heels of the video’s release Monday, which showed the Baltimore Ravens football player punching his wife, Janay Rice, and knocking her unconscious. This second graphic video led to a backlash, which resulted in Rice’s termination from the Ravens and an indefinite suspension from the NFL.
In 2012, Evelyn Lozada‘s life was thrust into utter turmoil when she became the alleged victim of domestic abuse from then husband, Chad Johnson of the Miami Dolphins. Graphic photos showing wounds on the Basketball Wives reality TV star’s head were gruesome, but she eventually recovered, citing an EnStars report.
Johnson was charged with spousal battery and the Lozada filed for divorce, mere weeks after they celebrated their high-profile wedding.
Unlike Ray Rice’s wife, Eveyln didn’t stand by her man, even after he apologized publicly. Perhaps, it had more to do with his denial, even to this day, that he abused his wife. His side? Lozada head-butted him, which resulted in the horrific wounds. It’s his story, and he’s sticking to it.
It seems everyone in the world is sounding off on Ray Rice these days. On the red carpet for the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 20, Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey made her own thoughts clear to Extra’s Charissa Thompson.
“You need to respect yourself and see what you’re worth and really know what your worth. Unfortunately, I think a lot of women undersell themselves; they don’t know how much they really deserve. I know for a fact that [Janay] deserves more then she believes.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is under fire for his handling of the Ray Rice matter. Critics say the two-game suspension was too lenient, while others allege the league is covering up, in keeping with the so-called tradition of locker room brotherhood. When the alleged abuse by Johnson on Evelyn Lozada took place, the league and Dolphins exacted the ultimate sanctions. Not so with Rice at this time.
The NFL released a statement following accusations it deliberately failed to obtain the second tape, infamously dubbed the “Knockout Video.”
“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator. That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.”
As a result of the fallout, the league appointed a special investigator to assess the way it handled the matter. Ex-FBI chief Robert Mueller will look into how the league addressed the matter up to this point.
Evelyn Lozada has remarried and moved on from that painful chapter in her life, and many applaud her for managing the crisis with grace, namely by exiting a situation marred by domestic violence. For a time, Lozada was the face of women suffering at the hands of aggressive partners. Her message to Janay is simple: get out.
On everything I love, i’m not trying to make anyone look bad. I just want women to love themselves enough to leave. ??
— Evelyn Lozada (@EvelynLozada) September 8, 2014
[Image via: MindRelaxingIdeas]
