Editor's Note: The following story deals with domestic violence and may be distressing to some readers. If you or someone you know is in need of support, resources can be found here.
Ray Rice is returning to the Ravens nearly 10 years removed from a domestic violence incident that ended his NFL career.
The Ravens announced Rice would be the Legend of the Game when Baltimore hosts the Dolphins in Week 17. Team president Sashi Brown described Rice as a great teammate whose "on-field accolades speak for themselves," while noting the work Rice has done in recent years to improve his image since the 2014 incident.
"He was also consistently in the community, giving back. Importantly, after Ray's incident he owned it. On his own accord, Ray undertook critical work within himself and to bring awareness to and educate others on domestic violence," Brown said, per the Ravens. "Nothing will change his past or make it right, but Ray's work has allowed him to atone for his actions and rebuild relationships personally and professionally, including with the Ravens."
Rice was in the NFL for six seasons from 2008 to 2013, all spent with Baltimore. He won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2013 and over his career, rushed 1,430 times for 6,180 yards (4.3 yards per attempt) with 37 rushing touchdowns. He had four straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2009 to 2012 and reached a career-best 12 touchdowns on the ground in 2011.
Here's what you need to know about the incident.
What did Ray Rice do?
Not long after the end of the 2013 season, Rice and his fiancee Janay Palmer were arrested for assault.
TMZ published a video of the incident, which took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that showed Rice dragging Palmer out of an elevator.
In an initial statement, a Ravens spokesperson said the team had seen the video and described it as a "serious matter" for which the team was gathering information. Just over a month later, team owner Steve Bisciotti said the team would continue to support Rice and said Rice would "definitely be back."
On March 27, 2014, Rice was indicted on third-degree aggravated assault, though Palmer did not testify during the hearing. The charges wound up being dropped with only court-supervised counseling ordered.
In May, Rice and Janay Rice, by this point his wife, spoke at a press conference addressing the situation. He apologized for the incident and said counseling has helped him and Palmer come out of the situation stronger.
"I'm still the same guy, you know," Ray Rice said. "As me and Janay wish we can take back 30 seconds of our life, we are better parents, better lovers and we're also better friends after this situation."
Rice was suspended by the NFL for two games, a penalty decried across the league as not being significant enough.
Ray Rice elevator video
It wasn't until later, in September, when further videos showed Rice and Palmer getting into an argument and hitting each other before Rice punched her in the face. Palmer fell in the elevator and hit her head on the headrail, and he pulled her out of the elevator as she appeared to be unconscious. The video appeared to show Palmer spit in Rice's face and captured obscene language exchanged between the two before Rice punched her.
The NFL said it had not seen the new video until it was published in September. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell apologized for the initial punishment, saying he "didn't get it right" regarding Rice's suspensions. He said the league would change its policy to suspending first-time domestic violence offenders for six games and at least a year for a second offense.
The release of the video prompted the Ravens to release Rice and for the NFL to suspend him from the league indefinitely. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said when the team saw the new video, "it changed things."
Janay Rice issued the following statement on Instagram after the release and suspension was announced, per NFL.com:
"I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I'm mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that it's reality is a nightmare in itself. No one knows the pain that hte media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass of for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don't you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!"
Rice appealed the indefinite suspension, arguing it violated league rules that a player cannot be suspended twice for the same issue. He was reinstated by the league after his appeal was successful in November 2014, though he did not wind up signing a deal with a team again.
Rice filed a lawsuit against the Ravens for $3.5 million in salary that was the amount he would have made from the team had he served only the two-game suspension. It was reported the two sides reached a settlement in January 2015.
Attempting to make a comeback, Rice publicly committed to giving all his 2016 NFL salary to domestic violence charities if he was signed, but no team offered him a deal. By 2018, his career came to an end.
Where is Ray Rice now?
Rice has since worked to improve his public image. He has been a motivational speaker, talking to collegiate teams like Florida State and Alabama, as well as pro teams like the Ravens about the incident. In 2019, he created a non-profit called Pipeline 2 Prosperity to help underprivileged kids in Baltimore and in New Rochelle, New York, his home town, per the team. The organization, which provides toys, sports equipment, mentoring and other needs, was created after Rice was told by a correctional officer at a group home that the kids there were in a pipeline to prison.
"I know what it feels like to feel like you ain't worth it no more," Rice said, per the Ravens. "That's what made me more passionate about a second chance. You just don't throw people away.
"A lot of things I had to overcome came out of me being at my lowest. It's a daily grind. It's daily work. But there's real purpose behind that. At the end of the day, I did something very wrong. I didn't deserve anything in my life when it happened. My second chance was with my family."
Per the Ravens, Rice has also spent time talking with mental health professionals, listening to domestic violence survivors and domestic violence experts. He has also worked with the Childhood Domestic Violence Association and A Call to Men.
Rice and Janay Rice have now been married for nearly 10 years with two children and live in Baltimore full-time.
"I knew it would be hard to forgive me, but the one thing I have been consistent with was that I was going to be better. I'm not going to be a victim of my past," Rice said, per the team. "My legacy won't be domestic violence. My legacy will be what I became after."
