Though much of America has condemned Ray Rice for a controversial video that showed him punching the woman who became his wife, the city of Baltimore still stands behind him, as many Ravens fans continued to support the beleaguered running back, wearing his No. 27 jersey at yesterday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“There’s two sides to every story,” said Ravens fan Racquel Bailey in an interview with CBS. “I saw the video. That’s their personal business, and it shouldn’t have affected his career. I don’t agree with domestic violence, but she’s still with him, so obviously it wasn’t that big of a deal. Everyone should just drop it.” She was one of many fans at the M&T Bank Stadium who wore a Ray Rice jersey and still rallied behind the running back, who was kicked off the Ravens and subsequently suspended by the NFL due to the offending video.
Several male and female fans alike weren’t shy about supporting Rice, but others were quick to score Rice’s supporters, with one woman at the Ravens-Steelers game yelling “You support a wife-beater!” at a man wearing No. 27. Another fan, 18-year-old Gage Friend, told CBS about the criticism he received from people for his desire to support Rice. “Yeah, I’m pretty aware of what he did,” he said. “And, yes, it was awful and it was definitely a mistake on his part, but he deserves a second chance. … People have done so much worse in this league.”
What remains an interesting question, though, is whether the fallout from the Rice incident may have any bearing on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s job. Though Rice and fiancée Janay Palmer had eventually married, the seven-month-old video, which was taken at an Atlantic City casino, only emerged Monday when it was leaked by showbiz-oriented publication TMZ. This has led to an FBI investigation that may or may not prove whether Goodell’s office had tried to cover up the Rice incident, hence the video only leaking out seven months after the events occurred.