Ray Rice: I See Why People Commit Suicide
One year after the scandal that essentially cost him his career, Ray Rice is hoping for a second chance. Speaking to the Baltimore Sun, the former Ravens running back details being on the verge of suicide after a video of his assault on now-wife Janay Rice in a casino elevator went public, shattered his reputation and ignited a discussion about domestic violence in the NFL.
Ray Rice became a free agent after being cut from the Ravens before the start of the 2014 season.
“It’s tough, I realize that’s a battle I’m going to have to face for the rest of my life,” he told the newspaper. “Time does heal everything, but I don’t think people are going to forget this. I want people to not forget about the incident, but I want people to see there’s a human being on the other side. This is not a monster, a guy who’s a repeat offender. I’m not the guy they stereotype me to be. I’m not excusing what I did.”
Despite that, he’s hoping for another chance.
“I’m optimistic that I’ll get a second chance,” he told the Sun. “I don’t think this boils down to whether I can play football or not. Obviously I know that. I just think there’s so much more that comes with it. I know the PR side of it will be tough. I understand that.”
He went on to explain that he was still worried about what he would tell his young daughter about the incident, and that he and Janay had gone through extensive counseling and were doing well.
“The big picture of it all, being the person that I am, I really felt horrible,” he said. “You almost want to punish yourself. I know I’m never going to win the battle of public opinion. Honestly, I almost felt like at one point that it wasn’t worth living. I see why people commit suicide."
“It hurt that bad. I was low, real low. It hurt that bad because you worked your whole life to do all the right things and then you’re the world’s most hated person. It was really tough. My daughter, oh Lord, I grew up without a father, there’s no way I could check out on my own family.”
In a bid to make his way back to the NFL, Rice also posted to Facebook earlier this month asking for forgiveness from the Ravens fans and thanked the team’s front office and coaching staff.
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(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
