Ravens owner: 'Embarrassed' for not taking domestic violence seriously
Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti says that he is embarrassed that his team and the NFL did not take the issue of domestic violence more seriously and instead viewed it on the same level as other off-the-field violations.
Bisciotti is referring to an incident involving former Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was seen on video striking his now-wife in February 2014 in an Atlantic City casino elevator.
[daily_cut.nfl]
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had initially suspended Rice for two games, but in September the Ravens cut Rice and the league indefinitely suspended him after a second video surfaced of the altercation.
Bisciotti spoke Wednesday to season-ticket holders in a conference call to discuss his views on the domestic violence policy and other issues surrounding the Ravens.
"I think that we were pretty stupid not to recognize domestic violence as a category by itself. No other infractions -- failed drug tests, bar fights or DUIs -- nothing to me should rise to that level," Bisciotti said, according to ESPN.com. "I'm embarrassed to say that they were lumped together. So, I'm happy that we found ourselves comfortable taking that categorically and putting it into at the top of the list as something that is just unacceptable."
Bisciotti said he would have cut Rice in the spring had the team seen the second video and that his team was stuck "between a rock and a hard place."
"We did the best we can," Bisciotti said, according to ESPN. "I can't say I don't have regrets. I said back then, my regret was not cutting him. My regret was not demanding to see the video. I believe we could've gotten it. We should have seen the video in May and not in September."
- Scooby Axson
