Even before the video surfaced of Ray Rice viciously attacking his now wife in an Atlantic City elevator, I was on the side of the fence that the entire thing was handled poorly by both the Ravens and the NFL.
Video evidence or not, the Ravens and the NFL were sending a poor message and setting an even more dangerous precedent. The backlash and outcry regarding the joke of the suspension that was issued has been a hot topic. Roger Goodell was forced to make a statement, and he stiffened the mandatory penalty to six games for first-time domestic violence offenders. But it’s an embarrassment in itself that it took a public outcry before the NFL started taking this national epidemic seriously.
Bottom line, the Ravens need to cut Ray Rice, today. The video that surfaced is shocking, disgusting and morally reprehensible, and any financial repercussions that the Ravens face due to terminating his contract should be nothing but an afterthought. Salary cap penalties? NFLPA objections? While not meaningless, they are a concern for another day. Keeping Ray Rice in purple and black (or putting him in any other NFL uniform) this season would send a dangerous message to our youth.
The Ravens have gone out of their way to adamantly publicly support Rice. John Harbaugh and the rest of the front office have stood by his side in the wake of the past few months’ events. But if they are telling the truth and haven’t seen the video like the NFL says they hadn’t, this is their final opportunity to make things right. They need to swallow their pride, admit they made a mistake, and send a strong message by parting ways with Ray Rice, immediately.
I have been a lifelong Ravens fan; they’ve been my team ever since they came to Baltimore in 1996. My house is filled with Ravens gear to the point it drives my wife (who is a Detroit Lions fan, btw) nuts. She included the Ravens and my obsession with them in her wedding vows. My golf bag is filled with Ravens club covers, balls, tees and markers. And some of the best times I had with my late father were either watching Ravens games from our living room or at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens have been a fixture in my life for the last 18 years.
But as a husband, a brother, and a son, if the Ravens falter here, I’m not sure what I’ll do. To say I wouldn’t be able to root for the Ravens isn’t a position I thought I’d ever be in, and is incredibly upsetting to me. But in good conscience, can I be loyal if #27 is in any way associated with them?
I pray that it’s a decision that I don’t have to make. Do the right thing, Ravens.
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