After seeing the full video of Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee, now wife, Janay Palmer for the first time on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens had no other recourse but to release their Pro Bowl running back.
Team officials meet with Rice after announcing their decision. His locker room nameplate, uniform and other belongings have been removed.
"It changed things of course," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Monday night'. "It made things a little bit different."
Shortly after the Ravens cut Rice and terminated his contract, the NFL suspended him indefinitely.
TMZ: We Have Proof NFL 'Turned a Blind Eye' to Ray Rice Video | Truth Revolt: https://t.co/rEbv008jI3
— Truth Revolt (@TruthRevoltOrg) September 9, 2014
Rice knocked out Palmer with a punch to the face in February. The incident took place inside an elevator at Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Rice was charged with third-degree aggravated assault.
Despite the fallout from the full video being made public, Palmer-Rice is openly standing my her husband. She released a statement Tuesday on Instagram.
Ray Rice's wife Janay posts statement on her Instagram account defending her husband. https://t.co/FDrnpYtIT6 pic.twitter.com/tvHYWX6qsl — WPGC 95.5 (@WPGC) September 9, 2014
He pleaded not guilty and avoided a trial after being accepted into a pretrial intervention program in May. NFL commisioner Roger Goodell suspended Rice for the first two regular season games.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his release, Rice addressed the importance of being strong for his family.
"I have to be strong for my wife. She is so strong. We are in good spirits. We have a lot of people praying for us and we will continue to support each other," Rice said Tuesday during an interview with ESPN's Josina Anderson. "I have to be there for [Janay] and my family right now and work through this."
TMZ Sports release the full video on Monday. Outrage from the Ravens, NFL and public at-large was immediate. Rice's Ravens teammates expressed being appalled by the video. Some openly stated their agreement with the team's decision, but will continue to support Rice.
"As bad it is, I still got to stick there for him as a person, not his actions at all," said wide receiver Torrey Smith, according to ESPN.com. "We're all disappointed by that. It was probably a little more than what we expected. It was tough what he did. You can't say the punishment doesn't fit the bill."
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