Ravens’ running back Ray Rice, with wife Janay Palmer, meets the press at team’s Owings Mills training complex.

RAVENS’ RB ADDRESSES NEWS MEDIA,
REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
DURING BRIEF TV APPEARANCE

Refers at Friday press conference
to alleged assault of then-fiancée
in Atlantic City, as ‘The Incident’
 
Just days after cutting a plea deal that allows him to avoid prosecution — and possible jail time — for knocking out his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City casino elevator, Ravens’ running back Ray Rice met the media with his now-wife… and refused to answer questions about the alleged assault.

In an orchestrated appearance filled with self-pity Friday at the Ravens’ training complex in Owings Mills before reporters and television cameras that lasted just over six minutes, Rice apologized to team leaders, fans and his family for what he and his wife termed “The Incident.”

Janay Palmer Rice sat quietly beside the Ravens’ star and offered a brief statement. However she did not smile or hold her new husband’s hand during the media event. Nor were any top Ravens officials present.

Rice did not apologize to Palmer during their joint appearance.

Using an analogy to indicate his determination to bounce back — that inadvertently references what occurred in the casino elevator — Rice said: “I wouldn’t call myself a failure [because] failure is not getting knocked down; it’s not getting back up.”

His speech was not written out; however he often referred to notes on his cellphone.

“The Incident” was first reported by TMZ in February when the celebrity news service ran an exclusive video — that immediately went viral — showing Rice dragging an apparently unconscious Palmer from an elevator at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City.

A day after being formally charged with felony aggravated assault, Rice’s then-fiancée Palmer married him.

On the advice of their attorney and the NFL Players Association, both refused to take questions about the alleged assault, for which they were initially charged with criminal misconduct, leading most sports columnists to condemn what they considered to be an awkward apology.

(To see what the sports columnists are saying, with links to their columns,  click here)

All charges have been dropped against the couple. However the NFL is expected to mete out some sort of punishment for Rice, such as a possible multi-game suspension or fine, for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Rice’s plea bargain, reached this week, dismisses third-degree assault charges against him, providing he successfully completes a New Jersey pre-trial intervention program focusing on rehabilitation to prevent future criminal behavior in lieu of trial.

Assuming Rice completes the program successfully, all charges will be expunged from his record.
 
VIEW THE FULL MAY 23 PRESS CONFERENCE  BY CLICKING HERE
 
— VoB Staff report
 
alforman@voiceofbaltimore.org