Three days after the Ray Rice elevator video went public, the former Baltimore Ravens running back is reportedly blaming heavy drinking for his attack on his wife, Janay, and has sworn off hard liquor.
According to TMZ Sports, which cited sources close to Rice, he told the Ravens that he and Janay had been drinking heavily before the February incident inside an Atlantic City casino elevator. Rice has reportedly told friends he becomes a different person when he drinks, and sources say he has not had hard liquor in months, though he still drinks wine.
The same sources told TMZ that the couple turned to their faith after the incident. Rice and Janay were reportedly baptized in March and became born again Christians, and they have since done religious mentoring with other couples, including NFL players and their wives.
The report comes days after the Ray Rice elevator video, published by TMZ, showed Rice punching Janay, who was his fiancee at the time. The couple married in March. The Ravens released Rice on Monday, and the NFL suspended him indefinitely the same day.
Rice has said little publicly since the video surfaced. In a statement Tuesday, he said he was trying to work through it and that the couple has a lot of people praying for them.
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