Will Ray Rice Get Another Chance in the NFL?

I feel sorry for Ray Rice.

There may no more unpopular opinion among pockets of National Football League fans than the first sentence of this piece.

The crime perpetrated by the former Baltimore Ravens running back in February 2014 that involved Rice knocking then-fiance Janay Palmer (now his wife Janay Rice) unconscious at an Atlantic City casino was disgusting, abhorrent and reprehensible.

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Rice being suspended by the NFL, cut by the Ravens and ultimately forced to be a spectator for all of the 2014 NFL regular season was a just punishment for his wrongdoing.

With that said, the time has come for football fans and for society to remove Rice from the cross.

Sep 7, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy (76) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Ray Rice is not Greg Hardy. Hardy, unlike Rice, was found guilty of assaulting a female and of communicating threats in 2014, but Hardy remained a free man due to a legal technicality that stemmed from the defensive end coming to terms on a settlement with his alleged victim which resulted in that woman no longer making herself available to the State. The former Pro Bowl performer with the Carolina Panthers was free to sign with the Dallas Cowboys this past offseason, and he will begin playing for Dallas once he sits out his four-game ban assuming that he keeps himself out of trouble.

Ray Rice is not Mike Tyson. The former boxing heavyweight champion of the world completed a stint behind bars when he was convicted of rape in the 1990s. Tyson was eventually allowed to return to the ring and to pay-per-view events, he made multiple noteworthy mistakes that have involved additional run-ins with law enforcement officials, he has had roles in television programs and movies, and he has even been featured on World Wrestling Entertainment shows. Barely anybody blinks when Tyson does anything in the public eye.

Nov 17, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) along the sidelines during the third quarter against the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Ray Rice is not Michael Vick. Vick did not “make a mistake” nor did he merely do one single terrible thing. The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback was so involved with an illegal dog fighting operation that he justifiably sent to prison for those actions. Vick was, once he served his time, welcomed back by the NFL with open arms, and he nearly had a campaign worthy of winning the league’s regular-season Most Valuable Player Award while featuring under center for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ray Rice is not Plaxico Burress. The wide receiver who was with the New York Giants in the fall of 2008 took a loaded gun into a Manhattan nightclub, a weapon that could have legitimately endangered all around Burress due to the fact that it was in the hands of somebody so incapable of handling it that it accidentally went off and shot the player in the leg. Burress, like the other examples mentioned in this piece, went to prison, and he was also allowed to return to the NFL without much protest from anybody.

There are two types of stories that society seemingly cannot get enough of when it comes to famous celebrities and millionaire athletes: Tales of their falls from grace, and also ones of redemption. Rice may never get his shot at a redemption story even though he is currently clear to sign with any NFL team that would have him and even though he was never sent to prison for what would have to be the lowest moment of his life. Now a free agent, the 28-year old is apparently not getting any calls from interested clubs with the start of training camps looming ahead.

The reasons for why Rice is unofficially blackballed (my word, not the league’s) by NFL general mangers are easy enough to understand. Rice need only look in the mirror and recall what happened on that February evening to understand how he quickly became the face of domestic violence acts perpetrated by professional athletes. What franchise that serves as a business could possibly associate itself with a man so vilified as Rice when those running that company have sponsorship deals and angry fans to consider?

Dec 16, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Things would be so simple if the NFL had a history of serving as some moral compass, a notion that is so ridiculous in nature that it is near comical. Rice began showing signs of depreciation during the 2013 regular season, the first year that he did not reach the 1,000-yard mark on the ground since his rookie campaign in 2008. He had experienced a quad injury and also some hip problems, and there were real concerns at the time that Rice was breaking down. Would Rice be on a NFL team if he was thought to have the physical skills had by Adrian Peterson or DeMarco Murray in the summer of 2015?

Of course he would. Anybody thinking otherwise is either in denial about the true nature of the NFL or does not understand how the professional sports world actually works.

Rice may no longer be able to accumulate 25-30 touches a game at the pro level, but that in no way means that he could not contribute for a variety of NFL teams during the upcoming season. He will not hit 30 years old and the invisible brick wall that seems to stop running backs in their tracks at that age until January of 2017. Rice last played a meaningful down of football on December 29, 2013, so he should theoretically be rested and fully recovered from any physical setbacks that are not long-term.

Ray Rice is likely going to lead a fine existence moving forward whether or not he ever appears on a NFL field in any capacity. He made millions of dollars during the first and possibly the only portion of his pro football career, and he cashed in on what is believed to be a settlement worth around $1.5 million after Rice filed a grievance of wrongful termination against the Ravens. None of that, though, eliminates the reality that there are no winners nor are there any positive stories that have stemmed from this matter.

In a piece that was published online on July 14 of this year, Daryl Bell of The Philadelphia Tribune wrote that it was “sad” that Rice likely will not get a chance to continue his NFL career anytime soon. Bell is right. It is sad that Rice was compelled to do what he did in that casino on that night. It is sad that his wife had to live through that horror and has since had to psychologically relive that night over and over. It is sad that a young man put his career on life-support before his 30th birthday for reasons many of us will never understand.

I feel sad for Ray Rice, even if nobody else does.

Next: Mike Pettine versus Ray Farmer

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