Ravens terminate contract of running back Ray Rice

After months of standing by the troubled Ray Rice, the Baltimore Ravens made a loud statement by terminating the running back’s contract on Monday afternoon.
In a simple statement released to media shortly before 2:30 p.m., the organization announced it was severing ties with the 27-year-old following TMZ’s Monday morning release of a second video clearly showing Rice punching his then-fiancee and knocking her unconscious in a Revel Casino elevator in Atlantic City in mid-February. Rice was in the midst of serving a two-game suspension handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that had garnered harsh criticism for its perceived leniency.
Shortly after the Ravens revealed they were terminating Rice’s contract, the NFL announced they were suspending Rice indefinitely based on the new video evidence obtained Monday. The league said in a statement earlier in the day that they had not been privy to the second video obtained by TMZ when deciding on Rice’s initial punishment.
Responding to backlash from his original decision on Rice, Goodell acknowledged that he “didn’t get it right” while announcing a harsher penalty for domestic violence last month that included six games for a first offense and a potential lifetime ban for a second offense.
The Ravens had consistently stood by Rice since the incident had taken place, drawing plenty of negative reaction from those accusing the organization of taking a soft stance on domestic violence. However, the disturbing violence clearly depicted in the second video made it impossible for the organization not to act, even if that action came far too late in the eyes of many.
Rice and Janay Palmer were initially arrested and charged with simple assault-domestic violence in Atlantic City on Feb. 15 with the police report saying each had struck the other and Rice had rendered Palmer unconscious. The grand jury later charged Rice with third-degree aggravated assault — and dismissed the original charge against his wife — before he was accepted into a pretrial intervention program in May. This program allowed Rice to avoid prosecution and potential prison time.
As for the ramifications on the salary cap by cutting Rice, the Ravens will immediately save the $3.529 million he was owed in base salary for the 2014 season. However, they will now take a $9.5 million hit in dead money for the 2015 salary cap.
The three-time Pro Bowl running back rushed for 6,180 yards and 37 touchdowns in his six seasons in Baltimore. He was the Ravens’ second-round pick of the 2008 draft and is second on the franchise’s all-time rushing list behind Jamal Lewis.
Head coach John Harbaugh was scheduled to meet with the media at 8 p.m. Monday night as the Ravens have already begun preparations for Thursday night’s Week 2 meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers.