He punched his wife. She apologised. And 1 month later they got married.

Trigger warning: This post deals with domestic violence and may be distressing to readers.

Update:

Ray Rice’s wife Janay has spoken out about the newly-released video showing Rice punching her in a lift — and she’s criticised the media for circulating images of the footage.

In an Instagram post published Tuesday morning, she wrote:

“I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare in itself… No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family.”

“To take something away from the man I love that he was worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is a horrific,” she wrote. “THIS IS OUR LIFE!”

“If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels,” she said.

“Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!”

Mrs Rice confirmed to The Baltimore Sun she had intended for the statement to be released publicly.

Previously, Mamamia wrote…

Ray Rice is a very famous, very rich American athlete.

And he’s making headlines across the world today because a horrifying video has emerged showing him punching his wife (then-fiancee) Janay Palmer in the face, slamming her against some railing and knocking her to the ground in an Atlantic City casino lift.

This is not the first the world has heard of the sickening attack: CCTV footage from outside the lift emerged just weeks after the February incident. While that video didn’t show the punch, it did depict the 27-year-old National Football League (NFL) star dragging Palmer’s unresponsive body out of the elevator afterwards.

At the time, Rice was charged with felony assault — but after Palmer declined to testify Rice’s lawyer described the incident as a “minor physical altercation” and the charges were ultimately dropped.

A bizarre press conference ensued in May, in which Rice said he and his wife were in counselling, and a distressed-looking Palmer  ‘apologised’ for her role in the incident, to the understandable alarm of domestic violence advocates.

The NFL ultimately disciplined Rice with a mere two-game suspension and a fine, and last month fans cheered Rice on when he made his first sporting appearance since the scandal. 

Now, the publishing of the punch footage by TMZ Sports has sparked fresh outrage over the NFL’s handling of the domestic violence case — and has led critics to question why Rice isn’t behind bars.

Coach: “we’ll always stand in support of them as a couple”

The NFL suspended Rice indefinitely, and the star’s $40 million contract was terminated by the Baltimore Ravens shortly after the release of the video on Monday. The team also deleted a tasteless tweet it had published earlier in the year, which quoted Janay Rice’s ‘apology’ for ‘the role she played the night of the incident’.

But the Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh appeared defensive at a press conference on Monday night, and bizarrely emphasised his support of  Rice and his wife “as a couple”.

“When someone that you care about does wrong and is faced with the consequences it is tough and it is hurtful. My pain is for both of them as a couple,” Harbaugh said. “And we’ll always stand in support of them as a couple. That’s not going to change.”

“If I can help them in any way and if my wife and I can help them in any way, we’ll do that,” he said.

While Harbaugh said he had not seen the video until it was leaked on Monday, the footage does raise questions about what the NFL knew of the punch.

The Boston Globe reports that an NFL spokesman said “no one in our office has seen it until today,” but would not respond to inquiries about whether any of the league’s other investigators had seen the video. One ESPN reporter has suggested, however, that  the NFL had requested and been denied the tape from law enforcement during its investigation.

NFL player: “That man should be thrown out of the NFL and thrown into jail”

Meanwhile, critics are outraged Rice wasn’t suspended sooner and disappointed the athlete won’t be facing fresh legal action.

As the NFL has previously explained, Rice entered a pretrial intervention program in May. Under the program, the athlete won’t be prosecuted, and the assault charge will be expunged (removed) from his record after a year. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell did announce a stricter new domestic violence policy for NFL employees last month — but he did not revisit Rice’s suspension until the video was posted yesterday.

Following the release of the video, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin described Rice’s punishment as the kind  teenagers get for painting graffiti. “It is a tiny, tiny penalty that is an absolute disgrace,” he said. “The DA (District Attorney’s office) embarrassed the country, embarrassed themselves.”

Actor Seth Rogen also called for Rice’s permanent suspension, tweeting: “I don’t know much about football, but I know that Ray Rice is a piece of garbage who shouldn’t be allowed to play it professionally anymore.”

Rogen then directed a tweet at NFL Commissioner Goodell, saying: “your punishment for beating a woman is less than for smoking weed. Get your head out of your f****** ass.”

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis also directed her anger at Goodell, tweeting: “shame on you and the NFL. Two games? Really? Two games?”

Fellow NFL player Terrance Knighton, of the Broncos, tweeted: “(t)hat man should be thrown out of the NFL and thrown into jail. Shame on those deciding his punishment.”

Even US President Barack Obama weighed in, issuing a statement via his press secretary saying “domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable”.

“Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that’s true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors,” the statement said. “Stopping domestic violence is something that’s bigger than football – and all of us have a responsibility to put a stop to it.”

While Rice publicly apologised for the incident at his press conference on May 23 — a full five months after the incident – he has yet to comment on the newly-leaked video.

If you believe you may be an abusive partner, you can receive help via Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277. If you have experienced, or are at risk of domestic violence or sexual assault, you can receive help by calling 1800 RESPECT – 1800 737 732. If you are in immediate danger please call the police on 000.

Mamamia has chosen not to publish the video of the incident, out of respect for Janay Rice. Please do not post images of the violent incident in the comments section below.

What did you think of the NFL’s response? 

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