Ray Rice, a once-promising and now indefinitely suspended National Football League running back who played with the Baltimore Ravens, was placed into a pretrial intervention program for a domestic dispute with his fiancé. Recently, video footage of Rice punching his now-wife at a New Jersey hotel has surfaced and the subsequent firestorm that resulted from the incident includes calls for the Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL to be fired. There are also calls for an investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and contentious debates about what is the appropriate policy regarding off-the-field offenses.
The NFL has dealt with drug-related incidences among a number of other high-profile arrests in recent years.
Opinions about Rice are broad. Concerns about what information was available to the team and the league and when that information was disseminated have created a blurred timeline. However, there is no shortage of opinions and predications about the matter.
Atlantic City lawyer James J. Leonard Jr., CEO or the Leonard Law Group, LLC, said he expected Rice’s legal woes have come to a conclusion. He also said the NFL acted appropriately prior to the leaked video being released, but subsequently went too far by imposing an indefinite suspension.
“I think Mr. Rice being admitted into the PTI program was the appropriate disposition and I think the NFL imposing an indefinite suspension is absurd. I do believe that Mr. Rice will one day be reinstated and able to resume his career,” Leonard says.
He cited both Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress as examples of player who served prison sentences and were later permitted to play football. “In terms of severity of the offense, Mr. Rice's pales in comparison,” he said. While Vick was convicted of dog fighting and killng dogs, Burress shot only himself
Leonard said he expects that if Rice can abide by the conditions set forth by the court and the diversionary program, he will not face any additional charges. “Mr. Rice was originally charged with a simple assault, which is a non-felony and then the charge was upgraded to aggravated assault, which is a third degree felony.
The case was then diverted into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program, known as PTI, which allows certain first time offenders to avoid being prosecuted if they satisfy certain conditions. In this case, I would imagine that some of the imposed conditions included anger management classes as well batterers counseling. As long as the defendant satisfies all of the conditions and remains law abiding, the charges will be dismissed. Short of the defendant violating any of the conditions, the case is over and will not be re-opened,” he said.
The matter has also raised the issue of leadership in the NFL and making long-term changes with respect to policy.
A blog posted to the National Organization for Women’s website calls for Commissioner Rodger Goodell’s resignation, and cites the NFL for having a culture of violence. “[Goodell’s pattern of mistakes is certainly not limited to Ray Rice. Eliana Dockterman of Time found that in 2013, 21 of 32 NFL teams still employed a player with either a sexual assault or domestic violence charge. In the past 10 months alone Ray McDonald of San Francisco, Greg Hardy of Carolina, and A.J. Jefferson of Minnesota were all involved in domestic violence or sexual assault cases,” according to information from NOW.
“Of the three, only A.J. Jefferson received a punishment from the NFL (a four-game suspension) … Roger Goodell lifted Jefferson’s suspension with no explanation. In fact Greg Hardy, who was convicted this summer on domestic violence charges, played a game for the Carolina Panthers [earlier this month] Apparently when Goodell promised a change in how the NFL treats domestic violence cases, he meant that they would somehow be taken less seriously.”