It seems that every radio show, podcast or interview that I do, I'm still asked about Ray Rice. Whether it be the situation itself, how fans and the organization is dealing with it still, and if I think the Ravens will bring him back. It's a weird issue because we've seen so many other players with spousal abuse problems get second and third chances in this league and have faced far less scrutiny than the former Ravens runningback.
Ray Rice's assault was terrible, but by NFL standards, something that happens far more often than the fans would like to admit. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the circumstances surrounding Ray Rice's assault in the end. Rice was a saint off the field for the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens before the incident, helping bullying charities and a variety of other causes both locally and nationally. Since the assault, Rice would undergo counseling and would continue to give back as much as his public standing would allow. Again, abuse of any sort is terrible, but the man has done everything about as well as you could ask for afterwards.
Now look at players like Greg Hardy for instance. While any assault on another human being is awful and inexcusable, there can be little doubt that Hardy's supposed issues were by far nastier and scarier than what Ray Rice did strictly because of the assault rifles, threats, and abuse itself. The transcripts from his assault case read like a drug fueled rampage where the victim got so scared, she welcomed death as an escape.
However, there was no video of it, so the NFL and it's fans could look the other way. Then as if that wasn't enough to make Hardy think about acting a fool again, we have this lovely little video that comes out, filled with guns and terrible rapping skills. The only thing that could have made that worse was him physically beating up one of the 'video hoes' he has in there with lines found out during his trial.
Guess which one of these players are still in the NFL? You guessed right. Greg Hardy is not only still in the NFL, he's starting for the Dallas Cowboys right now.
Us fans aren't the only ones scratching our heads over this as NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith is wondering why Rice hasn't even gotten a look from other teams yet.
I'm troubled that no team has given him an opportunity to work out for them or meet
It isn't like there haven't been teams even just this season that have desperately needed a runningback to carry the load full-time. Hell, with injuries to starting runningbacks, even a stopgap has been needed on a few NFL rosters this season. Yet, players well past their best by date have been getting looks and signing contracts while Ray Rice has his phone going silent.
In an NFL world where spousal abuse is all too common, DeMaurice Smith is wondering what separates Ray Rice and other players.