Ray Rice has hit rock bottom.
After TMZ released video of him punching his then-fiancee and now-wife Janay Palmer inside a hotel elevator, he was suspended indefinitely by the NFL as well as being released by the Baltimore Ravens.
More consequences soon followed after, such as Rice losing sponsorships like his Nike contract getting terminated. In fact, Rice can't even play himself on Madden NFL 15 anymore now with EA Sports announcing he will no longer be in the game.
Perhaps the worst part for Rice is that people think he will never play in the NFL again. Rice, who's only 27 years old, would have been entering his seventh year in the league. There's no way he can't be done this quick, right?
Many are convinced and hope that happens. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says he would be surprised if Rice is picked up. President Barack Obama even weighed in on the situation, saying that Rice is not even a real man now.
So is it really all over for Rice? It may not be.
In an interview with CBS News, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he won't rule out a Ray Rice return.
"I don't rule that out. But he would have to make sure that we are fully confident that he is addressing this issue clearly, (that) he has paid the price for the actions that he's already taken," he said.
So does Rice deserve a second chance?
I asked some people on the FootBasket Twitter account this question yesterday.
https://twitter.com/FootBasketcom/status/509083116892221440
These were some of the responses I had received:
https://twitter.com/MikeCeleste19/status/509083317350985729
https://twitter.com/jrhenderson77/status/509083961373384706
These are valid points. However, it seems like the majority are favored towards Rice not ever playing another down in the league again.
For me, I'm not going with the majority on this matter. I truly believe Rice deserves a second chance.
Go ahead, tell me, "But Josh, he hit a woman!" That's very true, and there's no excuse for it. Of course, he's going to live the rest of his life with that action, but his wife forgave him. Please remember the fact these two got married even AFTER the incident took place.
Nobody's perfect. Who are we to jude Rice?
He's never done anything before. This is a first-time offense by him, and now people are acting like he's Aaron Hernandez. The Ravens are already heading down that road now, removing all Rice jerseys and doing exchanges. They're doing as best as they can to erase any memory that he was here.
What about other athletes who have been down the same road?
Floyd Mayweather definitely has had a history with domestic abuse, yet guys like Robert Kraft go ahead and hang out with him. When he was with the Miami Dolphins for a brief period, we remember that Chad Johnson headbutted his wife. He now plays in the CFL and recently had a job with CBS. He seems to be doing fine.
Of course, there's all sorts of other countless athletes out there who have dealt with domestic abuse ... there's too many to count.
What about other NFL players who have done worse? Donte Stallworth killed a guy once. Adam "Pacman" Jones has had at least 45 "second-chances" throughout his NFL career. And, of course, there's the Michael Vick story.
Vick ended up getting his second chance in the league, and he's been making the most of it now. He paid his dues and mostly a lot of people have forgave him now.
To no one's surprise, he thinks Rice should be given a second chance as well.
"I hope so," the New York Jets' backup quarterback said, via ESPN.
Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy was one of those people who helped Vick get back into the NFL. He believes the former Ravens running back should be given a second chance.
Via Pro Football Talk, Dungy says Rice shouldn't just be "thrown out into the street" and be forgotten about. He also adds that it's not right he shouldn't be allowed to play in the NFL forever.
And why do we want Rice banned from the league forever, especially after seeing what all these other athletes have done? Why should make a guy, who's only 27 years old, make his life get ruined after all of this?
What's even more baffling is that the wife is outraged at all of this. Janay Palmer and Ray Rice have both moved on and are living happily together after this. How's that not enough? I'm not sure.
It just doesn't seem right.
I'll go ahead and quote former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, who explained this situation perfectly on Instagram Tuesday night:
I will start off by saying I don't condone domestic violence,this is just MY opinion,we heard about this is feb,we all seen the recording of what went down.off that recording the NFL decided to suspend him for 2 games,now that more of the footage is out the #NFL decided now to release and ban him! I personally think that's unfair to penalize a person twice for the same CRIME. You should have made an example of him back in feb,now it just seems like ur covering your asses for the poor decision you made the first time around ,were taught to live with each decision we make as humans. #NFL your decision was a 2 games suspension,right or wrong that was the decision you guys made,the victim was his fiancé NOW wife,as a man he has to live with what he did the rest of his life, she #forgave #married and #fighting for him and she's the only person in this world who can pass judgement on him so #RAVENS #NFL stop acting like the victims!!!!the real victim #MRSRICE just want to watch her husband play football!!!
Almost everyone should deserve second chances. Ray Rice most definitely should. I believe he should just be suspended for this whole season, and then he can be allowed to play for the 2015 season. It would truly be a shame if he never sets foot on the field again.
We'll see how it works out for him, though.
