On Sunday, it’ll be one year since Ray Rice knocked his then-fiancee out cold in an Atlantic City elevator. The incident set off a chain of events that led to Rice eventually being cut by the Ravens, the NFL at least starting to understand it had no idea how to deal with its domestic violence issues, and all of us witnessing first hand the horror of the abuse epidemic.
One year later, Rice has been reinstated but is a free agent without a job. Or even a workout. Or even any remote interest from any team.
On Friday, he released an open letter to the city of Baltimore, apologizing for what he did and thanking the Ravens:
This is not a farewell or goodbye. The last seven years that my family and I have spent in Baltimore have by far been the best of our lives. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown my family and I throughout my football career. We’ll always be grateful for the love we’ve received from all of our fans and supporters, and for winning a Super Bowl. To all the kids who looked up to me, I’m truly sorry for letting you down, but I hope it’s helped you learn that one bad decision can turn your dream into a nightmare. There is no excuse for domestic violence, and I apologize for the horrible mistake I made. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and I hope to make a positive difference in people’s lives by raising awareness of this issue. Thank you, Baltimore Ravens, for all you have done for my family and I. I’m very grateful to Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome, John Harbaugh, and everyone at 1 Winning Drive. I love you all very much, and I’ll always be proud to say I played for the Baltimore Ravens.
Thank you.
— Ray Rice
