We haven’t heard Ray Rice’s name mentioned in many years, but on Friday, it resurfaced when his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, announced it was honoring Rice on Sunday as the Ravens Legend of the Game during Baltimore’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
In his six years with Baltimore, Rice was a 3x Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl Champion and a player much beloved by the organization, city and fans.
But in 2014, Rice brutally assaulted Janay Palmer, his then-fiancé, in an elevator in an Atlantic City hotel in the now-infamous case of domestic violence. After the tapes of Rice’s assault were released, he was suspended by the NFL, cut by the Ravens and became the poster child for domestic violence.
Now, almost 10 years after the incident, the team is honoring him for taking accountability for what he did both on and off the field, changing his ways, and becoming a different person.
“I truly understand why I was let go and why so many hearts changed. But hopefully, people can see where I’m at now. They say people can change, right? I am not the same person I was 10-12 years ago. That’s just not who I am,” Rice said in a statement. “Every time I stepped on the field, I gave it my all. But I couldn’t say the same for life. Now I’m trying to be the best version of me.”
Rice and Janay since married, have two children and recently moved back to Baltimore where he now coaches two youth football teams. He also launched a nonprofit organization, Pipeline 2 Prosperity, to help underprivileged kids in Baltimore and his hometown of New Rochelle, N.Y.
Rice takes full responsibility for his assault and looks to help others.
He sought help, spoke with professionals and worked with groups such as the Childhood Domestic Violence Association and A Call to Men to make himself better and to help others from making the wrong choice like he once did.
“A lot of things I had to overcome came out of me being at my lowest. It’s a daily grind. It’s daily work. But there’s real purpose behind that. At the end of the day, I did something very wrong. I didn’t deserve anything in my life when it happened. My second chance was with my family.”
The team decided it was time to acknowledge Rice for his work on and off the field.
“Fantastic back. Versatile and productive. Tough as nails. And clutch. Great teammate. Ray’s on field accolades speak for themselves,” said Ravens President Sashi Brown. “He was also consistently in the community, giving back. Importantly, after Ray’s incident he owned it. On his own accord, Ray undertook critical work within himself and to bring awareness to and educate others on domestic violence.
“Nothing will change his past or make it right, but Ray’s work has allowed him to atone for his actions and rebuild relationships personally and professionally, including with the Ravens.”
Rice has never shied away from the incident and has spoken with both NFL and college teams about domestic violence to help make a positive impact on men so they don’t go down the wrong path he ventured down.
“I knew it would be hard to forgive me, but the one thing I have been consistent with was that I was going to be better. I’m not going to be a victim of my past,” said Rice. “My legacy won’t be domestic violence. My legacy will be what I became after.”
