Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been officially cut by the team, and the NFL indefinitely suspended the troubled star after a new video of Ray Rice knocking his wife unconscious hit the Internet.
Rice, a seven-year NFL veteran, had previously been suspended two games by the Ravens and NFL after a video showed him dragging his unconscious wife out of a hotel elevator. The couple, who were engaged at the time, had entered the elevator together. His then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, walked in under her own power.
Rice’s initial two-game suspension was apparently based on incomplete information. The NFL and Ravens hadn’t apparently seen the TMZ video explicitly showing Ray Rice in the elevator striking his wife.
“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator,” the NFL said in a statement. “That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.”
The Ravens had apparently done their due diligence before suspending Rice two games. He was originally arrested for domestic violence after the February incident. The couple was married in March.
Rice didn’t receive his two-game suspension until July 24.
Over the weekend, TMZ released a elevator video from the Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino. Although the Ravens and NFL had known Rice struck his wife, actually seeing the situation unfold made it seem much more violent and visceral.
The Ravens announced their decision to cut Ray Rice just hours after the TMZ video surfaced.
Shortly thereafter, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that he had increased Rice’s two-game suspension to an “indefinite suspension.” The ruling effectively bans Rice from any future play this season, if ever.
Last season Rice started 15 games and had 214 rushing attempts for 680 yards and 4 touchdowns. It was his worst production since his 2008 rookie season, when he played 13 games and had 454 yards with no TDs.
For his career, Ray Rice had 1,430 rushing attempts for 6,180 yards, a 4.3-yard average. He scored 70 touchdowns. If his new “indefinite suspension” becomes a lifetime suspension, those could end up being his career totals.
