The Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League immediately terminated the contract of embattled running back Ray Rice after video showed the mercurial football player punching his now-wife Jonay Palmer twice in the face in a New Jersey casino — including the devastating second punch that sent her flying into the railing inside the elevator and knocking her unconscious.
The judicial system in New Jersey and the NFL — most particularly NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell — remain under intense fire by the media and populace at large for originally doling out such a menial two-game suspension for a vicious and violent act against a woman.
According to reports, facing demonstrations by women’s groups and others, coupled with the horrible injury to their football brand, the Ravens owner and team brass felt they had no other recourse but to divorce themselves from Rice. This point was particularly crystalized after some fellow football players spoke out against Rice, even going so far as to suggest the running back be kicked out of the league and thrown in jail.
The NFL released a statement earlier on Monday, Sept. 8 purporting they did not see the video inside the elevator before today, but many media members and social media users continue to look askance at the NFL.
The NFL commissioner did, however, release a statement saying that based on the new evidence that was not available to the league office before, they have indefinitely suspended Rice from the NFL. This means Rice has been kicked out of the league until the NFL can take the social temperature at a much later date, perhaps in the offseason or the beginning of next season, to determine if they will permit Rice can return to the league again.
However, many media members are loudly pondering this question: if TMZ was able to obtain the video inside the elevator, why couldn’t the NFL or the Baltimore Ravens get ahold of it back in February?
Stay tuned for further information from the Ravens and/or the NFL on this rapidly developing story.
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