The video of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice pulling his unconcious wife out of an elevator a few months ago led to a public uproar about domestic violence. The NFL weighed in with a two-game supension, as did Stephen A. Smith and Whoopi Goldberg. Now Rice is speaking out, and publicly apologizing to his wife, Janay Palmer.
In a video on CNN, Rice recognizes that putting his hands on his wife was the “biggest mistake of my life.” He calls her “an angel” and believes that “she can do no wrong,” taking the full blame.
“Her pain is my pain, my pain is her pain,” said Rice. “But the one thing I wanted to do today was apologize to my wife, who I’ve known since high school. I’ve known her since a kid. I met her in high school, and she’s the same girl now.” Rice lets it be known that his wife, Janay Palmer, is a “great mother and a great wife,” and that she’s been there to support him through everything.
Rice also took the opportunity to speak out against domestic violence. “When the time is right, me and my wife, we want to go out there and help people—anybody—violence of any kind, especially man on woman,” he said. “It’s just not right, it shouldn’t be tolerated, it’s not right for society no matter what.
“That’s something I stand by, and I have to pay for that,” he added. “It’s totally inexcusable.”