Like many of you I just watched the Ray Rice press conference broadcast live from the Under Armour Performance Center today.
Rice’s silence has been part of a carefully crafted defense that included a graceful adherence to the due process afforded him or any citizen.
The act that allegedly put Rice in his current position was anything but graceful. It’s understandable if you think that Rice should be dealt with in the most heavy-handed fashion allowable by law.
But really, what should that punishment be?
Jail time?
Fines?
Suspensions?
All of the above?
I’ve heard some Ravens fans say that the team should just cut ties with him forever.
Count me among those who feel he deserves none of the above.
At the end of the day, the alleged incident affects Ray and Janay (nee Palmer) Rice’s family. If the couple is working on their marriage and their family supports them why shouldn’t we?
Why shouldn’t we trust Ray Rice if Janay’s father does?
Aren’t they the ones most affected?
Sending Rice to jail damages a potentially loving relationship. It renders a little girl fatherless. It’s a loss for everyone.
Today was Ray Rice’s penance. He had to sit in front of the camera, in front of the media, in front of everyone who trusted him and humbled himself before us all. He did it with class, sincerity and selflessness.
You could feel his pain and embarrassment. It was real and if it wasn’t, Ray could make a lot more money in Hollywood.
Ray Rice has always been about setting an example for others, particularly children. His tireless efforts dedicated to anti-bullying are not undermined. Yes those efforts have been derailed and Rice has plenty of repair work ahead to get his campaign back on track.
Climbing his way back into your heart, assuming he’s left it, will be a slippery slope. But if he’s successful how much stronger is his story? A good man temporarily lost in a 30 second act of cowardliness, found again.
In the end success doesn’t define a man.
How he deals with adversity does.
For Ray Rice, today was a good first step.
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