The Baltimore Ravens have released running back Ray Rice in the aftermath of the leaked video of his domestic violence case. Rice, who was previously suspended for two games by the NFL, was early this morning suspended indefinitely by the league.
Subsequently the Ravens made the decision to cut ties with the pro bowler.
It has been a whirlwind 12 hours. The video leaked by TMZ was a hot issue throughout social media, with fans, players and celebrities all putting in their opinion.
A number of NFL analysts made strong comments early in the day with regard to the small suspension Rice had received for the incident and asked for a larger punishment. The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, has been taking fire ever since handing out the suspension and the emergence of this video put that discussion front and centre.
The league took the only action it could in suspending Rice indefinitely. The footage on the film was disgusting and despicable.
From start to finish, the situation regarding Rice has been shrouded in mystery as a clear picture of what happened failed to emerge. The NFL and the Ravens said they had not seen the video when making their initial decisions. A strange occurrence, but it seemed the circumstances were too murky to warrant drastic action at first.
Regardless of the $5.5million salary cap hit, the Ravens made the decision to release Rice. It was an ethical decision rather than a football one. Baltimore has a sterling reputation with regards to putting the ethics of the franchise above football operations.
Baltimore was supportive of Rice earlier in the process as they had only been given a description of the event that transpired, but after watching the video they quickly changed their tune.
Baltimore, in cutting one of their best players, has put themselves on the front foot and is leading the NFL in regards to domestic violence. With other teams currently undergoing review of players mixed up in domestic abuse cases, the Ravens have set the standard for other teams to adhere to.
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