The Week 17 game between the Baltimore Ravens (12-3) and the Miami Dolphins is set for Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens have stated their intention to honor Ray Rice, a living legend and past Super Bowl champion with the team.
The 36-year-old Rice will be honored for his accomplishments on the field as well as for his attempts to better himself after a domestic abuse incident ten years ago ended his career.
Between 2009 and 2012, he led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage. He was a three-time Pro Bowler while playing for Baltimore, and he was a part of the team that won the Super Bowl after the regular season in 2012.
With four seasons in a row of more than 1,100 yards, Rice is without a doubt one of the Ravens’ all-time greats.
A domestic violence incident involving Rice’s then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, cast a shadow over his career off the field and resulted in his departure from the Ravens and an indeterminate suspension by the NFL. After being married, Rice and Palmer are parents to two kids together.
Since the event, Rice has worked with organizations that support victims of domestic abuse and shared his story with NFL and college teams. To be honest, it’s unfortunate that he was never given the opportunity to play in the NFL again, whether it was by joining the Ravens again or by any other team.
In addition, Rice founded a nonprofit organization to help poor kids in his hometowns of New Rochelle, New York, and Baltimore, Maryland.
Before his team honored Rice on Sunday, Ravens President Sashi Brown gave a glowing speech about the player, stating, “Ray undertook critical work within himself and to bring awareness to and educate others on domestic violence.”
“Nothing will change his past or make it right, but Ray’s work has allowed him to atone for his actions and rebuild relationships personally and professionally, including with the Ravens,” Brown said.
Ten years have passed since Rice’s final NFL game, but given all he has accomplished since then, the Ravens’ choice to recognize him as their “Legend of the Game” shouldn’t have happened.
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