Inside the Ray Rice Domestic Violence Scandal

Former Baltimore Braves’ running back Ray Rice seemed to have it all until the summer of 2014 when a shocking video of Rice hitting Janay Palmer (then girlfriend, now wife) in the face in an Atlantic City hotel surfaced. To Rice fans, the incident was a conundrum — Rice clearly did was guilty of domestic abuse but Palmer defended him! Advocates for victims of domestic violence are pointing fingers at the NFL player, but with Rice’s wife defending his actions, the NFL struggled to ascertain the truth and determine the appropriate penalty.

The issue for many is a clear-cut case of abuse while others seem to hope it was a one-time incident. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall told CBS Morning News he wasn’t sure of all the facts until he saw the video. A Wall Street Journal report said, “Goodell backed off his investigation … after hearing Palmer’s side of the story. Reportedly, she told the commissioner that she had hit Rice and felt partially responsible.”

'Ray Rice 27' by Keith Alison
‘Ray Rice 27’ by Keith Allison. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

While the FBI and NFL investigate, Rice has made a public apology. Ray Rice’s contract with the Baltimore Ravens on September 8, 2014, following the release of an additional video of the incident was suspended. Rice successfully appealed his indefinite suspension by the NFL in federal court. “The legal victory has done little to pave the way toward a return to the playing field — Rice is still an unsigned free agent,” notes Todd William, founder and CEO of Reputation Rhino, an online public relations company in New York City.

As a shocked public views the elevator scene, there are radio and television commentators saying that Rice, not his wife, is the real victim here.

WHAT?!

Slate.com reported Fox’s Tamara Holder as saying “I think it’s interesting …that the police are coming out … and not paying attention to the fact that there is a family here …That there were decisions to be made behind closed doors. That also … Miss Palmer … played a role in it.”

Oh pullease.

Slate.com also reported that A.J. Delgado, a National Review writer said on a radio show: “Some might even say, watching that video, that Ray Rice is the bigger victim of domestic violence here.”

The National Family Violence Survey (NFVS) found nearly equal rates of assault between men and women but warns “Collecting various types of counts from men and women does not yield an accurate understanding of battering and serious injury occurring from intimate partner violence.” Focusing on the strict number of pushes and swats “does not measure control, coercion, or the motives for conflict tactics; it also leaves out sexual assault and violence by ex-spouses or partners and does not determine who initiated the violence.”

On a recent episode of Slate’s The Gist, former prosecutor noted, “Many victims of domestic violence use violence against their abuser to either fight back, retaliate, protect themselves, sometimes in anticipation of violence when they know what’s coming because of a certain look … They immediately start getting into a defensive mode and actually use violence themselves.”

Many sports stars have been in the spotlight for spousal abuse, but many of the punishments imposed by the court have been light. “The increased attention to domestic violence by the media and increased awareness about the issue generally is likely to lead to increased punishments,” notes Eric Gonchar, a well-known New York attorney.

For instance, the Phillies’ Brett Myers pitched in Boston shortly after being charged with assaulting his wife. The charges were dropped. The New York Times quoted Ruth Glenn, the interim executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as saying, “The … leagues had better be paying attention. They need to demonstrate to society that there is zero tolerance against domestic violence. Changing culture takes a while. But you have to start somewhere.”