It's bad enough that Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is in trouble with the law and that his once-pristine image has taken a massive hit.
But now, the NFL is involved.
NJ.com reported Wednesday that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is monitoring Rice's legal issues, stemming from a simple assault-domestic violence charge against both Rice and his fiancée, Janay Palmer after a physical altercation at an Atlantic City casino on Feb. 15.
Goodell spoke at a news conference during the NFL's annual meetings in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday and confirmed that the league had an active interest in Rice's situation.
When asked whether disciplinary action was forthcoming against the Ravens star, Goodell responded, "I don't know; we will let the facts dictate that."
According to NJ.com, Rice's legal situation has been at a standstill for the last month after his arraignment at Atlantic City Municipal Court was delayed "pending legal review." NJ.com stated that the Atlantic City Police Department asked the prosecutor's office to go over the case to make sure all appropriate charges were being considered.
Video of Rice dragging Palmer out of an elevator at the Revel Casino went viral after TMZ posted a copy of the surveillance camera footage online. Rice has been accused of striking Palmer unconscious with his hand. It has been reported previously that police also are in possession of video evidence of the actual blow.
Goodell said the NFL will review the incident under its personal conduct policy. The policy allows the NFL to discipline players, even in the absence of a conviction of a crime.
Rice has been out of the public eye since the incident, and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti told NJ.com that "It's humiliating to him and his fiancée, and they're both dying over this negative publicity."
"I don't think there's a more admired kid that we drafted than Ray Rice," Bisciotti told the Baltimore Sun. "We're embarrassed and we're disappointed but no more than he is. I think what you have to do, when you look at the character of the man, is to see how he handles it and how he handles himself going forward to determine whether this is a bad person doing bad things or a good person doing something bad. I think he and his fiancée are both disappointed in themselves and embarrassed by it. Unfortunately, he's going to live with that for the rest of his life but if I know Ray Rice as well as I think I do, it will work out to be a positive for us and him."
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