Ray Rice will controversially be honored as a Legend of the Game by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday – a decade after he was filmed knocking his then-fiancee Janay Palmer out cold.
But his career was effectively ended by the shocking attack in February 2014, which saw the then 27-year-old hit his now-wife in the face, sending her crashing to the floor.
Rice was then caught on camera dragging the unconscious Palmer out of the elevator in Atlantic City before her head almost became trapped in the doors.
He was later indicted on aggravated assault but evaded prosecution after entering a pre-trial intervention program.
Ray Rice will be honored as a Legend of the Game by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday
It comes nearly a decade after he was filmed knocking his then-fiancee Janay Palmer out cold
He was initially banned for just two games by the NFL but eventually Rice was released by the Ravens and handed an indefinite suspension by the league.
Despite successfully appealing the punishment, Rice was left in exile with no team choosing to sign him as a free agent.
He will return to the Ravens on Sunday, when they face the Miami Dolphins. On Friday, the Ravens conceded that the attack put the former running back ‘in the center of a national conversation about domestic violence.’
But, the franchise write, ‘Rice is being recognized for the player he was, and for the redemption he has worked towards.
They continued: ‘Out of the public eye, Rice has been working on himself, his relationship, and within the community.’
Rice and Palmer tied the knot just weeks after the attack. They have now been married for nearly 10 years and have two kids together – Rayven, 11, and Jaylen, 7.
‘Rice is being recognized for the player he was, and for the redemption he has worked towards,’ the Ravens said
‘I truly understand why I was let go and why so many hearts changed. But hopefully people can see where I’m at now. They say people can change, right? I am not the same person I was 10 to 12 years ago. That’s just not who I am,’ Rice said per the Ravens.
‘Every time I stepped on the field, I gave it my all. But I couldn’t say the same for life. Now I’m trying to be the best version of me.’
The 36-year-old recently moved back to the Baltimore area, where he coaches the Pikesville Wildcats’ Under-13 and Under-7 teams.
In 2019, the former running back set up a non-profit to help underprivileged kids in Baltimore and his childhood hometown of New Rochelle, New York.
‘I want people to really see me. I’m still standing. I’m still going to be strong. I’m still going to help as many people as I can. I’m still going to be a man in the community,’ he said.
‘My legacy won’t be domestic violence. My legacy will be what I became after,’ Rice said
‘I know what it feels like to feel like you ain’t worth it no more… that’s what made me more passionate about a second chance. You just don’t throw people away.
‘A lot of things I had to overcome came out of me being at my lowest… I did something very wrong. I didn’t deserve anything in my life when it happened. My second chance was with my family.’
In recent years, the Ravens say, Rice has spoken to numerous NFL and college football teams, sharing his story so others ‘don’t make the same mistake’.
‘I knew it would be hard to forgive me, but the one thing I have been consistent with was that I was going to be better. I’m not going to be a victim of my past,’ Rice said. ‘My legacy won’t be domestic violence. My legacy will be what I became after.’
Ravens President Sashi Brown added: ‘Nothing will change his past or make it right, but Ray’s work has allowed him to atone for his actions and rebuild relationships personally and professionally, including with the Ravens.’