Ray Rice is many things.
A trending Twitter hashtag. A viral headline. A national controversy.
What Ray Rice is not is an NFL football player, and it should stay that way.
The former Baltimore Ravens running back, who played with the franchise since he was drafted in 2008, was released in September 2014 following a domestic abuse case. Now, however, the Cleveland Browns have voiced interest in adding Rice to their roster in the future.
In 2014, TMZ released footage from an elevator security camera showing Rice striking his then-fiancee, now-wife, who fell to the ground unconscious. Rice then dragged her body out of the elevator and dumped it in the hallway outside.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was slow to act when it came to Rice’s case, as were the Ravens. Rice and his then-fiancee were arrested in February 2014 on assault charges, and Rice was indicted by a grand jury the next month. Initially, Rice was only suspended for the first two games of the 2014 season as per league policy, which has since been changed to a six-game suspension for this type of transgression.
After TMZ released more footage – originally only the video of Rice pulling his fiancee’s body out of the elevator was published – Goodell admitted that he “didn’t get it right” and the Ravens cut Rice from the team. Goodell reportedly had access to the entire footage of the incident since it had occurred, but had chosen not to punish Rice more than the two-game suspension.
Following Rice’s removal from the Baltimore franchise, his career in the NFL was widely considered to be over. However, with the 2014 season in the books and the media storm having quieted, one team is willing to take another look.
Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine said the team discussed hiring Rice, while owner Jimmy Haslem also voiced his support for the embattled running back. While the Browns organization maintains that all talk regarding the matter is premature and the NFL preseason has only just begun, its front office isn’t shying away from the controversy either. Meanwhile, Rice remains ever ready, waiting on the sidelines.
The NFL is a league that has so often gotten it wrong, not only with Rice, but with many others.
To name a few:
Adrian Peterson, who admitted to using a tree branch to discipline his son but remains in the Minnesota Vikings uniform.
Aaron Hernandez, who now sits in jail serving time for murder but whose criminal history dates back to 2007 without any intervention from the NFL, as he was drafted in 2010 by the New England Patriots.
And Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers, who was found guilty of assaulting and threatening to kill his former girlfriend in July 2014. The following February, the case against Hardy was dismissed after Nicole Holder, the key witness and alleged victim, could not be found to testify. Four days ago, Hardy took the field with the Dallas Cowboys, ready to serve a four-game suspension before getting back to business as usual.
The Rice case is an opportunity for the NFL to finally get it right. To make a clear and unwavering statement as to the standards it holds for its players. To refuse Rice a second chance.
Domestic violence accounts for nearly half the arrests for violent crimes in the NFL, compared to a 21 percent national average, according to Benjamin Morris at FiveThirtyEight. That is inexcusable, but the league’s failure to effectively act on the issue suggests otherwise.
The NFL, its Players Association and all 32 teams need to set a rule that shows they have zero tolerance for this type of behavior. A simple six-game suspension is not enough.
The truth is the NFL has long outrun its ability to not “get it right.” This is a league which at this moment has convicted felons on its fields. If the organization has any hope of changing, and with it American sports culture as a whole, this is one case it can’t afford to let go.