Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice is a running back without a football team. The Ravens terminated Rice’s contract today after gossip tabloid TMZ released new elevator footage showing Rice knocking out his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer.
Update: Gawker.com points out the Ravens just deleted a tweet that seemed to blame Janay Palmer for the “role that she played” in her knock down, drag out fight with unemployed former NFL player Ray Rice.
The new footage shows Ray Rice punching Palmer in the face before dragging her limp body out of the elevator and dumping her on the floor like trash.
The chilling, callous way in which Rice dispatched Palmer when he thought no one was looking is evidence that domestic violence comes easily to him.
But the Ravens coaching staff defended their prize player.
“I stand behind Ray (Rice) – he’s a heck of a guy,” Coach John Harbaugh said in July. “He’s done everything right since. He makes a mistake; he’s going to have to pay a consequence.”
From USA Today:
For months, the Ravens had firmly supported Rice, 27, who was allowed to enter a pretrial intervention program that will dismiss the third-degree aggravated assault charge against him upon completion.
But that was before TMZ released disturbing video Monday morning of Rice punching Janay Palmer, who is now his wife. TMZ had originally posted only video of Rice dragging Palmer’s unconscious body out of the elevator.
A three-time Pro Bowl pick who helped Baltimore to a Super Bowl title in the 2012 season, Rice had three years remaining on the five-year contract he signed with the Ravens in July 2012. His $4 million base salary for this season wasn’t guaranteed, but the Ravens will have to absorb $14.25 million in cap hits over the next two seasons for cutting him.
On July 24, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell imposed a two-game suspension on Rice at the start of the regular season. Rice missed the Ravens’ season-opening loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and was to miss Thursday night’s game in Baltimore against the Pittsburgh Steelers before returning to the active roster.
Thanks to loyal reader R. Williams for the tip.
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