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Ray Rice was one of the NFL's best running backs and was on his way to becoming an all-time great. However, that all changed on February 15, 2014, inside an Atlantic City elevator. Rice and his then-fiancée, Janay, were involved in an early-morning scuffle on an elevator in a casino.
Atlantic City authorities stated Rice and Janay hit one another with their hands and rejected any medical help at the scene. Both were later arrested and transported to the Atlantic City Police Department holding facility.
Both were later charged with simple assault. Four days later, TMZ released a video of the Baltimore Ravens star dragging his fiancée out of the elevator where the incident took place.
Rice was indicted by an Atlantic County grand jury on a third-degree aggravated assault charge on March 27, 2014. The charge against Janay was dropped by the court. The couple got married a day later after his indictment.
On May 1st, Rice pled not guilty to aggravated assault and applied for a program for first-time offenders that could free him of charges within a year.
The Ravens held a press conference with the former three-time Pro Bowler and his wife on May 23rd. Rice apologized to the organization, fans, and all those impacted by his and his wife's actions in that press conference:
"I've had many nights and many days and a lot of time to reflect on a lot of things. I first of all want to apologize to [Ravens owner] Steve Biscotti, [general manager] Ozzie Newsome and coach [John] Harbaugh."
"I also want to apologize to my fans, to the kids, to everyone who was affected by this situation that me and my wife were in."
Janay expressed regret during the press conference about the incident and noted her love for the former Rutgers star. He was later removed from the Madden 15 video game due to the incident.
For how many games was Ray Rice suspended because of the incident?
In June, Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Ray Rice and Janay at the NFL headquarters in New York four months following the elevator incident in Atlantic City. Goodell later gave Rice a two-game suspension after meeting with the couple.
The NFL revealed a new, tougher policy for domestic violence and other violent behavior after the suspension. Per the policy, the punishment for a first offense is a six-game ban with extensive bans for mitigating circumstances.
Players and league employees who committed a second offense would be barred for life. On September 8th, TMZ shared the surveillance from within the elevator in Atlantic City of what happened between Ray Rice and Janay Rice.
The Ravens subsequently ended Ray Rice’s contract and he was handed down an indefinite suspension from Goodell and the NFL.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Sports Illustrated and H/T Sportskeeda.
