The discipline got handed down by the NFL to Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.
He received a two games and got fined $529,411.2 dollars for an incident with his then fiancé Janay Palmer back in May. Rice plead not guilty to a third-degree aggravated assault charge and applied for a spot in a pretrial intervention program, which allows for him to not have a criminal record upon its completion.
There’s video of Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of an elevator at an Atlantic City hotel in February. What isn’t shown is what preceded the incident and even if the case had gone to trial it may have been difficult for the prosecution to get a conviction. Hence, why the prosecution consented to the pretrial intervention program and if for some reason he didn’t get into the program, the Ravens running back reportedly would have gotten a plea deal in which he avoided jail time and would have attended anger management classes.
As for Rice he said, “I failed in many ways. But, Janay and I have learned from this. We have become better as a couple and as parents. I am better because of everything we have experienced since that night. The counseling has helped tremendously.“
He went on to say, “my goal is to earn back the trust of the people, especially the children, I let down because of this incident. I am a role model and I take that responsibility seriously. My actions going forward will show that.“
NFL fans are upset over John Harbaugh’s response where he claimed “It’s not a big deal. It’s just part of the process. We said from the beginning that the circumstances would determine the consequences. There are consequences when you make a mistake like that. I stand behind Ray. He’s a heck of a guy. He’s done everything right since. He makes a mistake. He’s going to have to pay a consequence.“
Harbaugh’s not making light of domestic violence as some believe, he is referring to this specific incident and that he knew that the league was going to discipline the running back.
There’s one thing for sure if there was legitimate evidence that indicated that Rice did knock Palmer unconscious he would have received a larger suspension and fine. It’s the allegations that got him the two game suspension as even if he was found not guilty it still tarnished the NFL’s image with the arrest, so now he’s sitting out two games.