[milford3]

There's such a sad and disgusting reality to this statement.  The level of immunity afforded to mega $$$ pro players and actors is equally saddening.  My bottom line here...this kind of behavior just plain sucks.  Domestic violence sucks.   Tough guy, really?   I welcome that his life is about to fall apart.  Only he can help himself now.  We'll see.

I arrest these people on my job.  If I and the prosecutor have this video watching (on the elevator to analyze) he would be in jail waiting for a bond hearing.

[JerryM]

u know What shocking is  ,that woman married him after all that?wtf

And she is now defending him to the press. Unbelievable.

I assure you that, at 16 years old, my daughter already knows better. I can't begin to imagine how her parents feel.

The other folks in for a few sleepless nights are the folks that try to help women with Battered Woman Syndrome.

[Folsom]

It looked exactly the same, sounded the same, as the stupid shit that clogs the court system day in, day out. Trashy people, doing trashy stupid stuff. They just have enough money that their circle of influence with money doesn't allow them to look like what you see everyday in every court waiting area, of people not smart enough to communicate with each other and need a mediator that costs them every penny they make, and prevents them from having more....

Judge, "You have a restraining order on him, you can't call him and ask him stuff, repeatedly, or ask for anything from him; but then report him when he isn't doing what you want" - Overheard by a close friend outside of a court case. It's not an exception, that's all day everyday.

When I watched the video I could see that he was heated because he almost struck her once when she shouldered him off, because she didn't want to talk at this point (left to an elevator without him). That's some anger issues, and mismanagement thinking that pursuing resolution when you're that full of steam, could be productive. However when she lunges at him, well honestly I don't know what anyone wouldn't have a reaction to that. His was intense because he adrenaline was already running, but I can't say in that moment do I think she's guilt free. If you antagonize a situation, don't expect positive results, not when someone is already about to fly off the handle. They both need consoling, and hopefully it works. If they're married maybe it will. And I'll repeat no one here knows what they were saying so it's not possible to know what kind of antagonizing was or was not occurring. She did publicly say she was sorry for her role in the situation. This is in fact why we have a court system, to prevent vigilante mob rule deciding other people's fate when it doesn't know shit.

We'd all like to say we'd be better, it makes us look good, claiming we're different and he's wrong. But it's like the "good girl" claiming the "bad girl" is a slut totally indifferent to actual sexual activity, because of the benefits to an easily plausible idea. At some point if you're around enough drunk arguing people, or people in heated situations (esp when they repeat), you know it's an activity idiots pursue together. I think to myself, thank god the court system is between the public and them, no matter how stupid they may be. You never know when you might be in a situation that appears 100% different to everyone not privileged to all the information.

Technically he's hurting business, and the NFL teams have public image disclosures in their contracts. It makes sense for them to exercise this, but I think court outcomes should be more prevalent in the decision over mob rule. In one manner yes they should scrutinize, in another they should care about their players that ruin their body in ways that no money can fix while making them rich. While I can understand why they want to exile him, it's also a deceleration that they don't believe in reform, growth, and change in a person; even more so of an issue when you consider that the privileged information that the court had that deemed such a minor offense can still warrant the destruction of someone's livelihood without repent.

All in all, the Internet sure is good at making none-of-your-god-damn-business somehow a tool to destroy people's lives based on anything real or not.

[Folsom]

Oh, I'd like to add, it'd be nice to get a professionals opinion on whether or not she's accepting an abusive relationship or not. Outside opinions of a professional that see much higher numbers are extremely valuable in these situations. Everyone else is sort of in it for themselves.

[sonik]

That the Ravens suggested and/or encouraged Janay to accept some of the blame for her own beating, as she did during the Rice's press conference, was one of the most shameful episodes in this sad story.  Even more shameful and cowardly is that "Little Ray" allowed her to do that in order to try to save his skin.  I'm glad he is gone from football.

[Rob Babcock]

And I'll repeat no one here knows what they were saying so it's not possible to know what kind of antagonizing was or was not occurring. She did publicly say she was sorry for her role in the situation. This is in fact why we have a court system, to prevent vigilante mob rule deciding other people's fate when it doesn't know shit.

You make some good points but this is grade A bullshit.  It simply doesn't matter what words were exchanged.  Nothing she could have possibly said justifies knocking her out. 

[Folsom]

You make some good points but this is grade A bullshit.  It simply doesn't matter what words were exchanged.  Nothing she could have possibly said justifies knocking her out.

What makes you jump to the conclusion I would say it does? I stated earlier that clearly neither has the know how or perhaps brain power to circumvent physical and verbal violence. Again this is something the court is actually not that bad at, discerning what is legal or not as opposed to personal opinion. The court isn't making calls and what should or should not, but rather what is and was. It's one more layer of protection provided to us, so that emotions don't rule.

Imagine being someone that was accused and sentanced, but never did anything. Now what if you were thrown in prison because of public opinion sway? That example benefits more from how court works, than this case, but we need limits and congruency so that it isn't a system that can be too easily biased against whomever, however, whenever.

This thread's holier than thou persona is a nice idea, but it's no more valuable than telling me what you'd do if you contracted a terminal disease prior to doing so...

[Letitroll98]

I arrest these people on my job.  If I and the prosecutor have this video watching (on the elevator to analyze) he would be in jail waiting for a bond hearing.

He was arrested and went to court where he plea bargained it to one year of counseling.  If you're looking to blame someone for Ray not getting punished enough, look to the criminal justice system you're employed in.

I wish people would get off of their high horse and see things with some perspective.  Seeing her condition in the first video I assumed he pummeled her into unconsciousness.  I was quite surprised to see it was only one punch.  Not excusable of course, but I would have expected much worse.  No matter that she was attacking him, you don't hit a woman even once, but this was very mild compared to the horrible beatings I have unfortunately witnessed the aftermaths of.  There is no evidence, so far, that he is a serial abuser.  He did one very stupid thing in the heat of the moment, he should pay heavily for that terrible mistake.  A year of counseling, losing your job with no assurance of continued employment in your profession, who knows if anyone will hire him even if his suspension is reduced, is ample punishment for the offense.  What do you want from the guy?

And not for nothing, but Michael Vick is still playing football, Plaxico Burris played after serving his sentence, and Ray Lewis is a first ballot hall of famer after plea bargaining a murder conviction.  A little hypocritical to crucify this man when a multitude of other players mistakes are forgiven and forgotten.  PS, I am a Steelers fan and thus hate the Ravens with a passion, so my views are definitely not a homers.

[Rob Babcock]

There are no "emotions" in it.  Civilization has to be protected from the actions of people like him.  Emotions, that's his problem.  Again, it really doesn't matter what she said or what impulse control problems he has.  I'm not advocating any specific course of action except that a professional needs to evaluate him and see if he's competent to stand trial.  The opinion of the wife has no bearing on it; the crime wasn't committed just against her but against society.  Her cooperation would be nice but legally it's not required.

If I have misunderstood your point of view I apologize.

[Rob Babcock]

There is no evidence, so far, that he is a serial abuser.  He did one very stupid thing in the heat of the moment, he should pay heavily for that terrible mistake.  A year of counseling, losing your job with no assurance of continued employment in your profession, who knows if anyone will hire him even if his suspension is reduced, is ample punishment for the offense.  What do you want from the guy?

Perhaps.  I really haven't seen or heard of isolated cases where out of the blue a guy with no history of domestic violence cold cocks a woman in a public place.  I guess we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it's possible that this is the first time he's ever committed a domestic assault.  If so his first attempt was doozy I guess.

Oh, well.  We're discussing this because he's a famous athlete.  Beyond that it's no different than the dozens of other violent assaults committed against domestic partners every day.  Few of them get any publicity.  Maybe this incident will change that but I'm not optimistic.  Soon things will probably go back to business as usual.  We rarely have the luxury of having the crime on video.

[Folsom]

Perhaps this saved their relationship, cumulating to a point of violence where they did act, revealed they need to work shit out instead of playing who's got the bigger will. Perhaps it saved true love.

Frankly one punch isn't something terribly outstanding that no human could recover from. If anything more people in general should get punched once, to remind them what's reality and how petty we've become arguing over words that only affect us because we let them; and sometimes they'll take everything you've got. While you can say as humans we should be beyond it, our evolution stopped too prematurely and coupled with all sorts of epigenetic problems that leaves us susptible to plenty of problems that occur from not enough action with quick resolve. Seriously if you think punching is horrific, meet the pettiness of someone like Elliot Rogers who could have saved himself at any point in time by acting instead of thinking and waiting but instead let pettiness rule him until he was so far gone he killed people. Not punched, killed.

[macrojack]

I suspect Ray Rice is a lesser offender and has just had the misfortune (born of stupidity) of becoming the poster boy for domestic abuse, NFL PR self-defense, and a pent up frustration on the part of the general public with these never ending headlines of celebrity misdeeds. So he gets hammered.

Too bad for him but had he kept his hands in his pockets he would be at football practice today making $10 million/yr. I wonder what the victim gets if she decides to divorce him while he still has money and she is still alive.

On a related subject, I want to say that I think Roger Goodell is ill equipped for the job he holds. He is another in a long line of patronage appointments in our publicly held and/or publicly embraced institutions along the lines of
"Heckuvajob Brownie" and GWB himself. These are Patrician figureheads, like Prince Charles of England, who receive their positions due to lineage rather than the oft touted merit.

Goodell should be dispatched from his position post haste for incompetence or collusion or corruption. I'm sure an honest and competent investigative journalistic enterprise could expose him in any or all of those areas quite easily. He's pretty well embedded though. He's burrowed his hard little body into the subcutaneous crevices of the NFL underbelly and is apt to hang in place for another 15 - 20 years.

For my part, I have given up on all professional sports. The NCAA is no better. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the Little League World Series and I attended some Grand Junction Rockies baseball games this year. Flying under the radar is key. Find small college games or semi=pro contests to attend live. No commercials - just pure fun - and affordable. Liken it to attending a small jazz performance as opposed to a stadium concert. The ticket is maybe one fourth of the price, the venue is far more intimate and comfortable, and the entertainers are frequently more talented. I know it's hard to choose between a veteran jazz pianist and Justin Bieber but think it over nonetheless. The NFL has become a waste of time. I still watch the standings but I'm not very interested in their ref-corrupted games.

[Randy]

Some people seem to miss the issue of "the punch."  He might have killed her.

[macdaddyzee]

Many victims of abuse stay with their abuser. That was one hell of a punch. Violence like that just doesn't end after an apology or a year of counseling. That behavior would take a lifetime of counseling and have the person who committed the act wanting to change, not forced into counseling by the court. I think the NFL Commissioner will lose his job too.

[geowak]

This is THE REASON why I do not have any respect for the NFL and the commissioner. This game is about making money and to he** with anything the players do that is unethical, illegal and immoral. I cannot support that type of game.

How can ANYONE justify what RR has done??? It's a crime and he should be tried in court. Come on Goddell, anyone can see how you are ineffective as a leader. Charge them both, after they are fired. What kind of example has this lack of morality set for women, children and families?

[Randy]

This is THE REASON why I do not have any respect for the NFL and the commissioner. This game is about making money and to he** with anything the players do that is unethical, illegal and immoral. I cannot support that type of game.

How can ANYONE justify what RR has done??? It's a crime and he should be tried in court. Come on Goddell, anyone can see how you are ineffective as a leader. Charge them both, after they are fired. What kind of example has this lack of morality set for women, children and families?

He is already off the hook legally. No charges were filed.

[macrojack]

This is THE REASON why I do not have any respect for the NFL and the commissioner. This game is about making money and to he** with anything the players do that is unethical, illegal and immoral. I cannot support that type of game.

How can ANYONE justify what RR has done??? It's a crime and he should be tried in court. Come on Goddell, anyone can see how you are ineffective as a leader. Charge them both, after they are fired. What kind of example has this lack of morality set for women, children and families?

You have to look further up the chain, geowak. The players are following the lead of the league officials who are simply mirroring the behavior, ethics and attitude of the universally accepted corporate model. Unless and until we, the people, refuse to participate in the behaviors you cite, the ship of state will continue to list toward the starboard side. That is why you have a sinking feeling.

[geowak]

RR is a large pile of camel poop. He should be punished by 100 women with pms lined up to kick him in the groina-copia.

[Letitroll98]

The latest report from the AP claiming the NFL, and presumably Roger Goodell, had the DVD of the elevator shot five months ago, before the two game suspension was handed out.  If true, this spells the end for the present comish of the NFL.  Lots of speculation now, but it will be interesting if he's hung on his own petard.

[dB Cooper]

I agree with pretty much everything macrojack has said re pro sports in general and the NFL in particular. To add insult to injury, how many are aware that the NFL has non-profit status? That's right, you heard right, the NFL is legally a non-profit with all the benefits that accrue to that (how they maintain that fiction with all the money they rake in you've just gotta admire in a twisted way). If that doesn't disgust you I don't know what it would take.