(Updated 9/9/2014) The Baltimore Ravens fired Ray Rice Sept. 8 after the emergence of additional video showing the running back punching his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City casino elevator on Feb. 15.
The Ravens had initially thrown their support behind Rice when the incident became public earlier in the year. But the surveillance footage released by TMZSports early Monday morning, which shows graphic details of the domestic violence incident between Rice and Janay Palmer, his now-wife, undercut that support.
In the one-minute-plus video, Rice and Palmer enter the hotel elevator and appear to be involved in an argument, which quickly turned physical. Rice appears to give Palmer a left cross to the face, knocking her out cold. He then stands over her unconscious body and drags her out when the elevator doors open.
The video quickly spurred outrage within the NFL and beyond, with many decrying the leniency given to Rice by law enforcement and the NFL.
Initially, both Rice and Palmer were charged with simple assault stemming from the incident. But the charges against Palmer were later dropped.
In May, Rice resolved his third-degree aggravated assault charge in the incident—avoiding prosecution and three-five imprisonment—by entering into a pretrial intervention program. If Rice successfully completes the program, intended for first-time offenders, his record will be expunged.
On July 24, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Rice would be suspended for two games and fined an additional game check for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
“The league is an entity that depends on integrity and in the confidence of the public and we simply cannot tolerate conduct that endangers others or reflects negatively on our game. This is particularly true with respect to domestic violence and other forms of violence against women,” Goodell said in a letter to Rice at the time.
Now, many are calling for 27-year-old player to face more severe repercussions.
“This video makes me sick to my stomach,” tweeted Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton. “If there’s anyway to open that case up and give this guy the punishment he deserves, it NEEDS to be done. That man should be thrown out the and thrown into jail. Shame on those deciding his punishment.”
Ravens and NFL officials defended their previous stances, with the NFL saying it had not seen the video before imposing the two-game suspension.
“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator,” the league said in a statement released to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. “That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.”
Now, the commissioner has taken a step further.
“Roger Goodell has announced that based on new video evidence that became available today he has indefinitely suspended Ray Rice,” an NFL spokesman said via Twitter.
In the wake of Rice’s suspension, Goodell announced sweeping changes to the personal conduct policy concerning domestic violence cases. Violations regarding assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve physical force “will be subject to a suspension without pay of six games for a first offense.” A second offense will result in banishment from the NFL for at least one year.
