The Baltimore Ravens fired running back Ray Rice after new video surfaced showing him punch his then-fiancée in the elevator of an Atlantic City hotel.
The team confirmed the termination via Twitter just hours after the video obtained by TMZ was released. It shows the 5-foot, 8-inch, 220-pound NFL player throwing a left hook to the face of Janay Palmer, knocking her completely unconscious. The video was shot from inside the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, and the footage captures the scene that transpired in a previously circulated video showing Rice dragging his unconscious fiancée out of the elevator on Feb. 15.
The #Ravens have terminated RB Ray Rice's contract this afternoon.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 8, 2014
Rice had been suspended for just two games by the NFL, which drew widespread criticism from observers. The latest video confirmed previous suspicions; that the NFL was too lenient in their past punishment. Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted he “didn’t get it right,” but the NFL said in a statement early Monday that it had not seen the second video prior to today.
“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator. That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today,” the league said in its statement.
Immediately after the new video emerged, fellow-players from throughout the league, even some who formerly supported Rice after the first video, jumped ship promptly.
“This piece of sh– needs to be out of the league. Period,” tweeted former Saints and Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, a player’s union representative during his career.
“This video makes me sick to my stomach,” Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton said in one of many tweets. He also said that Rice belongs in prison, let alone on an NFL football field.
Still some other players continued to blame the league and Goodell.
“To say you got that wrong is an understatement. Very disappointed in you. Wow…unbelievable,” wrote former linebacker and likely future Hall of Famer London Fletcher.
“2 games. Disturbing,” added Green Bay Packers guard T.J. Lang.
Rice and Palmer married on March 28, one day after a grand jury indicted Rice on an aggravated assault charge, but he weaseled his way out of serving jail time by copping to a pretrial program.
“There are consequences when you make a mistake like that,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said at the time. “I stand behind Ray. He’s a heck of a guy. He’s done everything right since. He made a mistake. He’s gonna have to pay a consequence. It’s good for kids to understand it works that way. That’s how it works. That’s how it should be.”
The couple held a joint news conference back in May, where Rice apologized and Palmer said the incident was partly her fault, to the alarm of domestic abuse counselors.
