The video is the reason Ray Rice is not playing in the NFL. The video also should be the reason for his return.
The former Ravens running back appeared on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Thursday and reiterated his desire to return to the league. He talked about how he made a decision that turned his dream into a nightmare, and he said he thought he would get a chance during the preseason with a team, but that never materialized.
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But it was what host Dan Patrick said, not what Rice said, that should make the NFL take notice and give Rice the second chance it gave Greg Hardy and countless other players who made major mistakes in their personal lives.
Patrick talked about Rice's wife, Janay, and the effect Rice's situation has had on her ever since TMZ Sports released the video or Rice's punch in the elevator of the Atlantic City casino they were in nearly two years ago.
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"Because she said something that really struck home for me," Patrick said. "She said, 'Every time you show that video -- the media shows that video - I relive it.'
"Like it's bad for you because you did it," Patrick said to Rice, "but she's a victim every time it's shown on TV. And we got to the point on our show where I said to my bosses, I said I don't want to show it anymore. We know what happened; it's gratuitous. We don't think about the victim. She relives this every single time."
So while the league's 32 owners continue to punish Rice for getting caught on video, they are also inadvertently contributing to Janay's inability to move on from the incident.
"Me and my wife still have to live for the rest of our lives," Rice responded. "Not to downplay, but in February, it will be two years removed from the incident, and it still feels like yesterday. ... For us, we're trying to live day to day for our daughter, even though we're in the shadows of it."
Running backs have fallen by the wayside in the league this season, and yet no one is willing to give a four-time, 1,000-yard rusher and three-time Pro Bowler who will turn only 29 in January a tryout. No NFL team in need of a running back has commented on why it refuses to consider Rice, even though he is perhaps in the best position of anyone to bring attention to the battle against domestic abuse.
Several people tweeted their support for Rice, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. It is ironic that teams may fear the public backlash for giving Rice a second chance while the running back continues to gain support in the public for getting another chance.
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