Rice, 27, is the team’s career leader in total scrimmage yards and ranks behind only Jamal Lewis in total yards rushing. But this press conference wasn’t about football.
This was about apologizing for actions that he insisted were one of a kind.
“It was the first time it ever happened,” he said. “I’ve never had a problem with domestic abuse. This was a one-time incident.”
In addition to the two-game suspension, Rice was fined three paychecks totaling more than $500,000. There have been reports that the fine was too light. Rice declined to weigh in on that subject except to say that he would have accepted whatever penalty the NFL deemed fit.
“No football games and no money was going to determine what I have to live with the rest of my life. That punishment I received from the NFL, it hurts that I can’t play football,” he said. “I never planned to appeal any kind of punishment. So whether it was two games, four games, six games, eight games, I was going to own my actions and be a man about it and take whatever was given to me.”
Rice’s reputation has likely taken a harder hit than he has ever absorbed on the field.
“In some people’s eyes, Ray can do no wrong. That’s something I take pride in,” he said. “I know a lot of people out there have lost respect, maybe not like me anymore. But that’s my fault. I have to own that. That’s my battle each day.”
Rice also pleaded with his fans to make smart decisions.
“I still have kids out there wearing 27 jerseys, and I just want to tell them that please don’t make the mistake I did,” he said. “I always talk about one or two bad decisions and your dream can become a nightmare, and I was truly living a nightmare.”
Rice’s teammates still support him.
“I’ve known Ray for a while. He’s a great guy,” linebacker Elvis Dumervil said. “We’re all human, we all make mistakes.”
Rice realizes how many people were hurt by his actions.
“That’s not who I am as a man. That’s not who my mom raised me to be,” he said. “I let her down, I let my wife down, I let my daughter down, I let my wife’s parents down, I let the whole Baltimore community down, and I got my teammates here to support me, I let my teammates down. I let so many people down because of 30 seconds of my life that I know I can’t take back.”
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