Update: The Baltimore Ravens have terminated Ray Rice’s contact.
Back in May, Baltimore Raven Ray Rice was caught dragging his then-fiancee, now-wife Janay Palmer out of an elevator. Rice later pled guilty to an assault charge, dodged a trial by signing up for counseling and received the NFL’s sternest possible finger wag: a two-game suspension. That wrist slap was received with deafening outrage by anyone with a moral conscience, and that outrage is only likely to grow today. TMZ has released surveillance footage of the incident itself, in which Rice is seen savagely punching Palmer while they are arguing in an elevator. You can watch it here (warning: It is awful). The video shows Rice striking Palmer once and then, after she attempts to defend herself, knocking her out cold.
A former employee of the hotel from where the footage was taken says the NFL has had the footage for months, and still felt a two-game suspension would be adequate. The NFL countered with a statement this morning saying they had not seen the footage until today. Whether or not the footage will change Rice’s punishment (such as it is) remains to be seen …
