Ray Rice’s dream of returning to the NFL may be nearing an end

Ray Rice has been out of the NFL since 2014, but he is not giving up on his dream of returning, at least not yet.

Before a charity softball game, Rice told NJ.com, "I don't want to ever say I'm giving up, because that's never going to be me. I'm happy. I'm in the best shape of my life, and I know if it doesn't happen this year, it's probably something I have to deal with. But you know what? It's not the end of my life. I know that the window for playing is closing. But if my window closes, I'm going to make sure I open up a thousand more opportunities for kids, to give them an opportunity to pick up where I left off. That's where I'm at. I've got three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl. There's a lot of people that can't go out there and do what I did. But I don't want it to end that way, it's safe to say."

Ever since the incident, Rice has been working in both the gym and the community. In the gym to get himself in better shape to return to the NFL, and in the community to help right the wrongs he made, and help to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future throughout the world.

The last time Ray Rice stepped on the field wearing a Ravens uniform was on August 16, 2014, for a preseason game. Soon after the video depicting his domestic violence surfaced, Rice was cut and suspended and has not seen the NFL field since. He hasn’t even received as much as a tryout.

My hot take: Rice can still contribute to a team in the NFL. No, what he did was not ok, but if the NFL forgives players like known bad boy Greg Hardy, then Ray Rice deserves the same. You either forgive all or none (and the NFL really should forgive none), but that clearly is not what is happening.