Ray Rice hopes for 'second chance' following domestic violence
Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Ricesaid on the TODAY Show that he is hoping for a "second chance" from NFL teams after being reinstated following a suspension for domestic violence.
Last week, Rice won his appeal of an indefinite suspension when a judge ruled he was honest with commissioner Roger Goodell during a June meeting. He is eligible to sign and play with any team immediately.
He told NBC's Matt Lauer that his NFL future hinges on team's looking past "one bad night."
Lauer: What do you think it would take for another owner and another group of fans to put the images of that video behind and say, 'We'll take a chance on Ray Rice?'
Rice: They would have to be willing to, you know, look deeper into who I am and realize that me and my wife had one bad night, and I took full responsibility for it. And one thing about my punishment and everything going along with anything that happened is that I've accepted it. I went fully forward with it. I never complained, or I never did anything like that. I took full responsibility for everything that I did, and the only thing I can hope for and wish for is a second chance.
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During the interview, Rice also discussed the press conference in which his wife, Janay, apologized for her role, saying she did it to try to protect his career.
Rice was originally suspended for two games after he was arrested on domestic violence charges in February. Goodell then suspended him indefinitely after video of the incident was made public in September.
Rice has played his entire six-year career with the Baltimore Ravens. He struggled in 15 games last season, rushing for just 660 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first time since his rookie season he didn't surpass 1,000 yards on the ground.
• Report: Four teams have expressed interest in Rice
- Paul Palladino
