Former Raven’s running back, Ray Rice, issues apology and thanks to Baltimore and Ravens fans.
Almost a year to the date of the incident leading to his demise, Rice has formally apologized to the city of Baltimore and all of his supporters during his seven-year career with the Ravens. The Baltimore Sun received the letter from Rice early Friday morning. During a stay in Atlantic City, Rice was video-taped punching wife, Janay, in a hotel elevator. The video soon surfaced but didn’t catch much attention until months later, when the NFL was scrutinized for only suspending him for two games.
After weeks of drama and millions of viewers witnessing the horrific video, commissioner, Roger Goodell, then suspended Rice indefinitely. Soon to follow was the termination of his $35 million dollar contract with the Ravens and enraged fans, who were seen trashing and burning his #27 jersey across the country. Rice, however, never saw jail time as prosecutors allowed him to partake in a pretrial intervention program as a compromise. He was reinstated in November after winning an appeal against the NFL for – what most of us know to be – double jeopardy. Rice has plans to move back to his home state of New York, where he will attempt to make an unprecedented comeback return to the NFL.
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Baltimore,
This is not a farewell or goodbye. The last seven years that my family and I have spent in Baltimore have by far been the best of our lives. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown my family and I throughout my football career. We’ll always be grateful for the love we’ve received from all of our fans and supporters, and for winning a Super Bowl. To all the kids who looked up to me, I’m truly sorry for letting you down, but I hope it’s helped you learn that one bad decision can turn your dream into a nightmare. There is no excuse for domestic violence, and I apologize for the horrible mistake I made. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and I hope to make a positive difference in people’s lives by raising awareness of this issue. Thank you, Baltimore Ravens, for all you have done for my family and I. I’m very grateful to Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome, John Harbaugh, and everyone at 1 Winning Drive. I love you all very much, and I’ll always be proud to say I played for the Baltimore Ravens.
Thank you.
— Ray Rice”
Sources Cited:
Ray Rice apologizes to Fans: ESPN.com
Ray Rice issues statement thanking Baltimore, apologizing for domestic-violence incident: Aaron Wilson, The Baltimore Sun
