The Ray Rice Elevator Video

The NY Daily News is no longer going to refer to Ray Rice by name in
their articles about The Ravens.

 

It doesn't help that the behemoth of sports journalism, circa 2014, is in a lucrative, long-time financial partnership with the NFL. The one news organization with the talent and the resources to pound away at this story is basically underwritten by Goodell's league.

 

Dick, watching the video again he appears to spit on her after they enter the elevator.
The team let him do a victory lap during a home preseason game.
It's embarrassing for anyone who works for the league.

 

Nantz and Simms, if they have any shame, are going to find it especially difficult to cock-slobber the Ravens and the NFL on Thursday night.

But Nantz at least has no shame.

Should be fun.

 

So even if the NFL hasn't seen the video until now, Does it matter?

How the hell did people think this woman was knocked unconscious? To paraphrase Denny Green: Ray Rice's (actions) are exactly what we thought they would be. He decked her!!
And Rice drug her out of the elevator. He didn't pick her up and carry her. Didn't have her lean against him. He drug her out by the leg.

Honestly, the video doesn't change my opinion of the situation.
However, it confirms two things:
1: It visualizes what people already knew; that Rice knocked this woman out.
2: It supports the notion the commissioner's office badly under-disciplined this incident.

What do they do now? Revisit the discipline? Admit they were wrong and based on the now-released video throw the book at Rice, because they hadn't seen the video? (Probably, yes)
Or let things go as is - let it cool off - and move on?

I think if they revisit the punishment (which is the right thing to do) what kind of a message does that send? Again, the video only provides a visual of the domestic violence we already knew occurred. We already knew she got knocked out. By Ray Rice. By Ray Rice punching her.

How many people expected to see a video of Rice pushing her against the wall. Roger Goddell can raise his hand, I guess.

 

Did she ever tell him not to spit on her?

We have to look at what she could have done differently here.

 

I covered one high-profile player who was arrested several times for domestic violence. I was stunned that virtually nothing had been written about it, other than simply reporting that he'd been arrested. He was never in danger of being suspended. I wrote a 60-inch feature on him and detailed all of the arrests and I called the charities that he worked for and asked him if they had a problem with being associated with a player who had been in that much trouble. One of the guys had me read the arrest reports (one of which was very graphic) to him over the phone. After I did he said, "Well, we've never seen anything like that from him."

Player may even still work for the team in some capacity.

I don't think people can even begin to have an idea of how much the NFL (and other pro leagues) have swept domestic violence under the rug. It's very selective about which cases get publicity while most of the others don't. Obviously, we know why this one got as much publicity as it's gotten, but it amazes me how many players, past and present, had similar instances, minus the video, who faced no recourse from their league.

 

Nantz was a victim of domestic abuse so he probably has some sympathy
for Janay.

 

This is getting repetitive, but the theories are twofold:

1) She was attacking him and he either hit or pushed her, out of self-defense, and it was just an accident or a small flare-up that went bad.

Or ...

2) She wasn't "knocked" unconscious. She was passed-out drunk.

Without the video, someone who wants to believe that lie can believe that lie.

 

If Law Enforcement had a copy of the elevator tape then prosecutors would have been required to turn it over to Ray Rice and his lawyers. DId Goodell even ask Rice for a copy of the tape? Was Goodell intentionally ignorant so the league doesn't look like shit?
Rice knew what was on the tape and his victory lap shows what a dumb fuck he really is.

 

Yeah, hard to call this a scoop, but TMZ released this at the perfect time to get a ton of coverage.

 

I dunno that the NFL sweeps it under the rug. If the victim is silent and there nothing is ever prosecuted, how does it get out?
I think DV happens much more often than people suspect because of this. Not because the NFL, MLB or any other pro league or company is "sweeping" it under the rug.