Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice's release from the team and subsequent suspenson following leaked footage of him punching his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator has dominated headlines, and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has added his voice to the commentary.
Mayweather, who is facing Marcos Maidana on September 13 in a rematch of their May pay-per-view, took a controversial stance on the matter, stating Rice's original two-game suspension shouldn't have been increased because of the video.
"I think there's a lot worse things that go on in other people's households, also," Mayweather said. "It's just not caught on video, if that's safe to say."
Mayweather has done time for domestic violence, pleading guilty to lesser charges of battery against a former girlfriend while his children watched. Despite the guilty plea, Mayweather has continued to maintain his innocence in the matter.
"Like I've said in the past, no bumps, no bruises, no nothing," Mayweather said. "With O.J. and Nicole, you seen pictures. With Chris Brown and Rihanna, you seen pictures. With (Chad) Ochocinco and Evelyn, you seen pictures. You guys have yet to see any pictures of a battered woman, a woman who says she was kicked and beaten (by Mayweather). So I just live my life and try to stay positive, and try to become a better person each and every day."
Mayweather's also facing a civil suit currently that was filed by Shantel Jackson, his former fiancée. Jackson has alleged Mayweather physically and verbally abused her, as well as humiliated her publicly by revealing that she had an abortion while carrying their twins.
Jackson's attorney Gloria Allred ripped the pound-for-pound champion in a prepared statement read at a news conference to announce the lawsuit.
"Mayweather insisted that the plaintiff move to Las Vegas. Ms. Jackson wanted to remain in Los Angeles. When Ms. Jackson refused to move, Ms. Jackson alleges that Mayweather became verbally abusive, stating 'I took you out of the 'hood. I should have left [you] there,'" Allred stated.
She continued--"On May 1, Mayweather, in retaliation for Ms. Jackson's continued refusals to comply with his demands ... decided to give her the ultimate humiliation.
"That day, knowing that his social media following was huge and devoted, Mayweather posted the following on his Facebook and Instagram accounts: 'the real reason me and Shantel Christine Jackson @MissJackson broke up was because she got an abortion, and I'm totally against killing babies.'"
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