Ray Rice is an All-Pro running back for the Baltimore Ravens and was the primary ball carier during the team's 2012 Super Bowl winning season. He is often pictured with a big smile on his face, and his teammates love him.
From a purely football standpoint, Ray Rice is the type of professional athlete parents hope their sons might one day become. That was the image associated with Rice before February when he was seen on video assaulting and rendering his then-fiancee Janay Palmer unconscious in an Atlantic City hotel elevator.
From that moment Rice has been the most disliked, some might say, most polarizing figure in sports. And it got worse for Rice after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league handed him a two-game suspension during the upcoming 2014 regular season as a result of the transgression.
Rice has since offered an apology for the assault on Palmer, who is now his wife. The apology was deemed sincere by some Ravens fans. But the overwhelming reaction on social media was unsympathetic.
Acknowledging the error of his ways was a first step, and Rice vows to become an advocate in the battle against domestic violence. But he has a long way to go before critics soften their stance. But much of the anger toward him will possibly never abate.
Michael Vick advice to Ray Rice -- back up your words https://t.co/py3h6xM04g
— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) August 13, 2014
But Rice must stay true to his word, then do much more, in order to possibly change minds. That's the advice being offered from the one athlete more disliked than Rice: New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick.
"I think the most important thing that you can do is to try to make amends for what you've done," Vick recently told NJ.com. "I think you have to show people that you're trying to help yourself and bring awareness to that situation to help others, to prevent it. You've got to become an advocate."
Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting operation. It was a heinous act, in which many animals were killed or seriously injured. He served 18 months behind bars before being released in May 2009 and has since been a strong advocate against animal cruelty.
Vick promises to spend the rest of his life being an animal rights advocate. But his spiritual growth and commitment to this cause hasn't changed many minds outside of fans for the team he plays for at a given time.
Vick is still considered a despicable human being by many in the animal-rights community. They continue to picket at NFL games he is scheduled to perform. But Vick isn't deterred.
He continues his fight against cruelty to animals, even as fellow human beings continue their fight against him.
Maybe that's the best advice Vick can give to Rice. No matter what Rice does to further awareness of the crime that is domestic violence, there's the strong possibility he won't change attitudes many have of him. But he must never become discouraged.
Rice has to embrace this cause and make it a foundation of his being. He can't change what happened in that hotel elevator, but Rice might be able to prevent others from behaving in a similar manner.
He can't concern himself with changing attitudes. He must concentrate on doing what is right in his heart and remain committed to fighting against all forms of domestic abuse.
Rice owes this to himself, his wife, his daughter and society at large.
"You've got to continue to make amends," Vick said. "Once you start something, you can never go back. I feel like I've become an advocate of animal welfare, and I think I have to continue that."
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