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Ray Rice was well on his way to becoming one of the best running backs of his generation. However, that all changed on February 15, 2014, when Rice and Janay Palmer, his then-fiancée, were involved in a fight in the early hours in an Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino on an elevator.
The authorities in Atlantic City police stated Rice and Palmer used their hands to hit each other and did not want medical treatment at the scene. The couple was taken into custody, transported to the Atlantic City Police Department holding facility, and charged with simple assault.
Less than a week later, a video was made public by TMZ of the then-Baltimore Ravens star dragging his fiancée out of the casino elevator where the incident took place. He would be indicted in March by a grand jury in Atlantic County on the charge of third-degree aggravated assault. The charges against Palmer were dropped.
In May, the running back pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault and applied for a program for first-time offenders that could free him of charges in a year. Ray Rice was accepted into the diversionary program that same month.
The Ravens held a news conference with the couple later in May. Ray Rice apologized for “the situation my wife and I were in.” The Ravens live-tweeted the press conference and said the following in a now-deleted tweet:
“Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Rice and Palmer at league headquarters in New York in June. The NFL announced on July 24 a suspension of two games that would start on Aug. 30. Goodell and the league were heavily criticized for what was seen as a lenient punishment toward Ray Rice and issued a tougher policy when it came to domestic violence.
Under the new policy, a six-game suspension was the penalty for a first offense with longer suspensions based on mitigating circumstances. A second offense will lead to a lifetime ban. On Sept. 8, video surveillance footage from inside the elevator was released by TMZ, showing Rice striking Palmer.
Baltimore voided Rice’s contract and Goodell announced his indefinite suspension from the NFL hours following the release of the video. He would not play another down in the league.
Almost a decade later, he was in attendance at the team's training camp. He will be honored by the Ravens as a Legend of the Game, being recognized "for the player he was and for the redemption he has worked towards."
Is Ray Rice still married?
Janay Palmer and Ray Rice got married a day after he was indicted. They remain married to this day. Janay stated in a joint 2018 interview with Gayle King that she never thought Rice was abusive:
"I just thought we were being a typical boyfriend and girlfriend. We'd argue. I didn't really sit back and think about it until I was forced to think about it."
The couple moved back into the city of Baltimore with their two children. The question remains as to whether the fans have forgiven him for his actions.
