Ray Rice press conference: Ravens running back asks for forgiveness

Ravens running back, Ray Rice held a press conference today at 3PM to discuss the allegations behind him and his fiance, the legal trouble he faced and the legal resolution ending with entrance into a state program

Rice was joined by his now-wife Janay Rice, his lawyer and agent. His small child could be heard crying in the background. It was announced upfront that Rice would not be taking any questions on the matter but would be reading from a prepared speech and talking to the media.

Rice apologized to owner Steve Bisciotti, head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome as well as to fans and the community. He discussed how marriage counseling helped both him and his wife overcome their issues and the incident. He talked about the support his wife has given him throughout the ordeal and the support of his mother and his father-in-law for helping him get past the issue and become a "better man". Rice committed to be a better person in the future and is quoted as saying:

Failure is not getting knocked down, but not getting up.

Which is an odd choice of words given the video and accusations thrown at him. I'm sure his agent and lawyer wished he had chosen another analogy for not getting down on himself or letting the incident alter how he was going to prepare for the season and the remainder of his life.

After he was done talking, he handed it over to his wife, Janay, who echoed the statements of Ray Rice by apologizing for her part in the incident. She also mentioned that she was positive that her husband would gain back the trust of those counting on him as he proved himself.

Rice was originally charged with third-degree aggravated assault after allegedly assaulting his wife in a casino elevator on February 15th. Video was released showing Rice carrying his wife outside of the elevator and dropping her unconscious body. The police report mentioned that both Janay Palmer (now Rice) and Ray Rice had struck each other.

Mort, on people who've seen the full video: "You see her attack him in the elevator. Ray Rice strikes her twice, and her head hits the rail"

— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) May 23, 2014

While Rice has avoided trial for the matter through acceptance into a pretrial intervention program, he is still expected to receive some type of suspension from the NFL through their conduct policy. It is unknown at this time how long a suspension would be, but it is expected to be between one and four games total.

Update: The Ravens have released the press conference video. So check it out for yourself.

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