Yeah, the Ravens did what they had to do from a business standpoint. I hate that they did it though, and i'm someone who wanted Rice gone well before this incident (mainly because of his contract). In terms of the reversal of public opinion, it's already started. Their are blog sites out there pointing out how all this news is only making Janay relive one of the worst days of her life even though NOTHING NEW has been brought to the light except that the NFL received the tap. There are online petitions requesting Rice's reinstatement. Not because people feel he didn't deserve to be punished but because people feel he's now the sacrificial lamb for this media frenzy. How bad does a situation have to be for people to start feeling sorry for the victim AND the perpetrator? I've seen many people, on FB especially, who originally thought Rice wasn't punished enough but now feel it's been overdone. Rice is still scum for what he did but Goodell definitely threw him in the roast, so to speak
That's what I'm saying TIM....if there were a way to FORCE them to reveal how the came about a copy of the tape. I guess Ray would have to file suit against the TMZ and the REvel hotel and casino, bring them both to court and file a motion to FORCE them to reveal how they came upon a STOLEN copy of a video tape. Since it's a CIVIL issue I'm not to up on CIVIL law but it can be done....newspapers and their reporters have been summonsed to court and force to reveal their source or be held in contempt.
What's funny is Goodell gave the lowest common denominator of people what they wanted until they realized that wasn't what they wanted. This is what happens from listening to public outcries and bowing to it. People just want something to scream about and be offended about. Once that is done, they move on to the next thing to be "outraged" over while the mess left behind gets cleaned up by anyone but them.
And what I am saying is that TMZ is built on the information that is leaked to them. They will never give up their sources because it will destroy their business model.
They just can't do it Maniac. No journalist worth his/her job will ever reveal their source. Courts aren't allowed to force journalists to reveal their sources either because the presumption is that if that were the case, anonymous sources would never come forward to break stories. **Edit** Bah, Ninja'd by Tim
Actually I blame the people that watch TMZ. Without small minded celebrity chasing public they wouldn't exist. Where are these b-holes when their is political corruption to be exposed? The fourth estate is as dumbed-down as the masses it serves.
http://live4sportnetwork.com/frontend/critical-thinking-the-nfl-on-ray-rice/ Here it is. The definitive answer on the NFL's handling of Ray Rice.
That's such a cop out. He deserves it because he punched a woman? That's not only unfair, it's un-American. Rice is a man who made a mistake while under the influence. There, but for the grace of God, go a lot of us! His reputation and character were never in question until this unfortunate blip on his life's radar. Everyone in this country, we are told, deserves a second chance. What this video, and in its aftermath the NFL, has done to Rice is make it very difficult for him to be employed anywhere within a football atmosphere, from Pop Warner to the media booth. And the notoriety of his actions will make it difficult for any private employer to want to hire him. And why? Because IMHO, the NFL wants to try and salvage its reputation by making an example of him to an extreme that is in excess of any punishment Goodell said he would impose on a first-time offender with an otherwise clean reputation. Rice certainly fit that criteria. He is in counseling and has owned his mistake and, according to reports, is making efforts to seek help and guidance. What does the NFL want? How about taking the initiative to suspend Ray McDonald until his court case has been heard? Why not? Because there is no video? A physical assault on a woman is a physical assault whether it is on video or not. Apparently the legal system thought the evidence was sufficient to charge him with a felony count of assault on a pregnant woman. Has everyone forgotten about that? Why is he special? And now there is a member of law enforcement in New Jersey who has told the Associated Press that a copy of the video WAS sent to the NFL offices. If this ends up being true, than it makes the NFL and Goodell more culpable in covering up the severity of this incident and makes Goodell look like the sham of a commissioner he is.
no, the one copping out here is u. what does mcdonald have to do with it? because i blame rice for his actions, are u assuming i exonerate mcdonald? i don't. if he's smacking a woman around, i feel no more kindly toward him than toward rice. i am on record, repeatedly - including on this thread - as objecting to the NFL applying double jeppardy. i have no argument about that. what i don't get is the repeated references to him being unable to find employment elsewhere. so they tried to minimize the exposure, and yet it's their fault if people dislike rice for what he did? say what? it seems to me you're blaming the league for negative public perception of rice. i flatly reject that idea. if ray rice doesn't punch a woman, on camera, and it doesn't get publicized, including video, none of this happens and his reputation isn't sullied. i agree they shouldn't have changed his suspension. but if he can't get a job at mcdonald's now, that's on HIM, not on the NFL.
now explain to me why it's the league's fault people make that judgement about him, regardless of how fair or unfair it is. why not blame the cops who arrested him? why don't u blame the people who made the tapes public instead? or hey, hang on here... why not blame ray for making his own bed?
It is undoubtedly Ray's fault for allowing himself to get caught up in a situation where excessive alcohol took over his common sense. But that doesn't make him a POS because he made a terrible mistake. Anyone who will not give someone the benefit of the doubt for a first EVER offense of this type is being narrow minded. People like yourself are sheep, They won't, or can't, think things out for themselves and will follow what the media tells them to follow, and if the media say's a guy doesn't deserve a second chance, that's good enough for them. Are you one of those? It is the fault of everyone who has contributed to make this man look like a monster when, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Ask any member of the media in this town who had ever come into contact with him and every one of them will tell you what a genuine and caring individual he seemed to be. He was always giving his time to charitable causes. No one who has been in contact with him has anything but nice things to say about him and his wife. I personally know his wedding planner who worked very closely with him before they were quickly married and after this incident planning his reception and "second wedding" and she will tell you the same thing. They are basically good people who made a mistake I happen to work in an office he frequents and he has been nothing less than cordial and laid back. A gentleman. I abhor what he did and think his actions were reprehensible. But it doesn't mean I will never give him a second chance as long as he is genuinely penitent for his actions.
Him not being able to find a job is at least in part because of the publicity associated with this incident, not only him. If this happened to you or me and the whole world didn't see it on video, the only thing our prospective employer would know is that we were in court on a charge of DV and had it reduced. The publicity surrounding this incident will certainly, IMO, make prospective employers think twice about whether they want to accept the responsibility of hiring this man. If you don't see that, you're blind. My question is: Why is McDonald still allowed to play and Rice is indefinitely suspended? Because of a video? DV is DV whether there is a video or not and McDonald was charged with a felony, meaning the authorities have a reasonable amount of evidence to pursue that charge. He should already be suspended! That's all I meant. Why isn't he being held accountable? All I'm blaming the league for is a giant mishandling of the entire Rice episode. He should have received a stiffer punishment from the beginning. The league shouldn't try to salvage their tarnished image because the public finally saw a video I'm convinced someone in the league office saw as far back as April (if the report from the Assoc. Press is accurate and they have a voice mail from the league office telling them they received the video) If it comes out that someone in the league office saw this video (and I am of the opinion that is the case) then the league officials are culpable for dereliction and should all be replaced, Or should they only be indefinitely suspended?
jeeYAYzuz! don't suspend them... King Roger has the power to reverse suspensions, probably even while suspended. remember mafia business doesn't stop just because some of their people are in prison.
That's assuming the NFL owners don;t get together and "whack" him for possibly seeing Rice's elevator tape and lying about it.
great. now mcdonalds and walmart won't hire me. see what you've done? you've sullied my reputation!!! if u don't see the thinking twice as a result of what he did, you're the blind one. if u don't see the publicity as being a result of a celebrity caught on tape punching his g/f, i dunno what to tell u. i don't know why. i also don't know how that causes walmart to be less likely to hire ray rice. i agree with all of that. and NONE of that has anything to do with other employers possibly being reluctant to hire ray rice. focus, man, focus. i disagreed with ONE point u made - and u made it repeatedly. now you're trying to ring me up for several other things i never argued with - seriously, wtf?
i would still hire Ray Rice... my windows are dirty and i don't have a safety belt (i'm on the 5th Floor).
To address your myopia, It is my humble opinion, right or wrong, that this incident will inhibit his ability to find employment due to the celebrity of the incident and employers thinking twice about the effects of his hiring on other employees (you know, the "team" concept all corporations like to display these days) I sincerely hope I'm wrong and he will be able to get on with his life and be successful at whatever he chooses to do, but I think he has an uphill climb caused, in part, by the way this incident was handled not only by the NFL, but by the Ravens organization AND the NJ prosecutor.
so a celebrity gets busted punching his g/f, the incident is taped, the tapes make it into the public eye (something the league had nothing to do with - in fact, it appears they did everything in their power to avoid that), u blame the LEAGUE for his reputation taking a hit, and *I* am myopic. the league's involvement in his reputation taking a hit is virtually nonexistent compared to his own, but it seems to be all u care about.
You are really this dense? I have NEVER blamed the league for any more than their mishandling of the situation. Of course I blame Ray Rice for what happened. It is his fault entirely, he should have had better sense. I don't know how much the NFL tried to keep the tape from the public when the news media in this country are like leeches, waiting to pounce on anything. No way this tape doesn't become public. If the NFL felt smug thinking it wouldn't they overestimated themselves. I blame the league for the way they have mishandled the incident. If there weren't some question of impropriety on the league's part I doubt there would have been an independent investigation ordered. But I also see this as another attempt to try an reclaim a damaged image. I think the NFL and the Ravens organization went completely overboard when they took a step backward and decided to suspend him indefinitely and cut him rather than just following the guidelines Goodell set forth following the announcement. The NFL should have made a public statement to announce that a mistake had been made, suspend him for the six games that would have followed those guidelines and just let it run its course. Instead, they backpedal and went to the other extreme. I think this has exacerbated an already bad situation and has contributed to the public opinion of Ray Rice. You don't have to agree. You have a right to your opinion and, face it, You're not changing my mind any more than I can change yours.
