Almost ten years after being suspended for domestic abuse, the Ravens will recognise lamar jackson as a “Legend of the Game.”
Prior to a video showing him hitting a lady in a lift going viral,lamar jackson played for the Baltimore Ravens for six seasons. That woman is now his wife.
For the incident, Rice was originally given a two-game suspension.
However, the Ravens let him loose after the video went viral, and the NFL declared an indefinite suspension for him. He didn’t play in the NFL for another snap.
The team declared on Friday that Rice will be recognised this weekend as the organization’s “Legend of the Game,” exactly ten years to the day after his last game.
Editor-in-chief of baltimoreravens.com, Ryan Mink, stated that Rice “is being recognised for the player he was, and for the redemption he has worked towards.”
Rice said on the team’s website, “I really understand why I was let go and why so many hearts changed.” However, I hope that others can see where I am right now. People can change, isn’t that right? I’ve changed over the past ten or twelve years. I simply am not that person.
“I gave it everything I had each and every time I took the pitch. For life, though, I couldn’t say the same. I’m attempting to be my best self right now.”
After playing backup football in his rookie season, Rice rapidly rose to the position as one of the NFL’s most productive backs. He accumulated 5,066 yards on 1,109 rushes (4.6 yards per carry) between 2009 and 2012; in addition, he was able to win the 2013 Super Bowl and find the end zone 39 times (33 rushing, 6 receptions).
During his career, a fourth and 29 catch-and-run gave rise to the expression “Hey diddle diddle, Ray Rice up the middle.”
However, he had a severe decline in 2013, rushing for just 660 yards on 214 carries.
Rice and his then-fiance travelled to Atlantic City approximately six weeks after the conclusion of that season, where they got into an argument and then exchanged blows.
Rice filed an appeal of his second suspension, arguing that it was unfair to punish him twice for the same infraction. Even after being allowed back in November 2014, he never returned to the pitch. Rice even filed a lawsuit against the team, claiming he was entitled to fifteen weeks of income, but the matter was resolved.
After over ten years of marriage, Rice and his wife Janay have two children together.
“A lot of things I had to overcome came out of me being at my lowest,” Rice stated. Every day is a grind. It’s an everyday task. However, there’s a genuine reason for that. At the end of the day, I made a grave mistake. At the time, I didn’t deserve anything in my life. My family gave me another chance.
