The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rice using ‘terrible decision’ as lesson
Ex-RB: Speaking on domestic violence is his second chance.
DALLAS — Unsigned for two years since the release of the horrific video of him punching his then-fiancee, Ray Rice says his second chance has come through his choice to speak out against domestic violence.
The former Baltimore running back still wants to resume his NFL career, and he doesn’t begrudge Greg Hardy for getting the opportunity that he so far hasn’t. Rice just wishes the former Dallas defensive end had used the platform of playing the same way Rice has tried to make amends.
“What I wanted to see him do with his second chance would have been a lot different,” Rice said Wednesday after joining a Big 12 Conference-sponsored panel to discuss violence against women on college campuses.
The same week that the now-unsigned Hardy was arrested on a cocaine possession charge in a Dallas suburb, Rice made his latest appearance to discuss his life since the videos that derailed his career.
The first showed his nowwife, Janay Rice, being dragged unconscious out of a hotel elevator in New Jersey. The second showed the punch that knocked her out, leading to his release by the Ravens and an indefinite suspension from the NFL. That ban was overturned in court, but another team hasn’t signed him.
A Super Bowl winner following the 2012 season, Rice played his last game on Dec. 29, 2013.
“I think the one thing I can take from it is I’m not out there saying I deserve a second chance,” said Rice, who has 6,180 yards rushing in six seasons. “I used to have control over that, my playing days. But I know that’s out of my control. And I think what I control now is how many people can I help, whether I’m playing or not.”To those who question his motives, Rice points to his stable family life — his wife, 4-year-old daughter and infant son.
“I don’t have a situation at home that’s broken,” Rice said. “I have a wife and I have a son and I have a daughter that have to grow up with their father, who made a terrible decision in life. And I have to explain that to them.”