First and foremost, I would like to begin this story by saying that domestic violence is a serious issue around the world. Women suffer from incidents ofdomestic violence by the hands of a man on a daily basis in the United States. The video of Ray Rice knocking out his then fiancé, now wife, Janay Rice was very disgusting and there was no excuse for his actions, especially since she did not pose any type of physical threat to him at all.
The history of domestic violence in the United States runs as deep as the Mississippi
River starting with the mistreatment of women which led to the Women's Rights Movement in the United States. Rice will pay a hefty price for his actions and the entire world is watching. Hopefully, people will not try to turn this situation into a racial issue. Peyton Manning or Tony Romo would probably get the same treatment as Rice if they were caught on tape knocking out their significant other.
Everybody understands why the NFL came down so hard on Rice, but taking a guy's career for life is a very drastic measure. Rice should be banned from the NFL for one year, seek counseling, volunteer at domestic violence shelters, and work hard on resolving his anger issues. If Rice's wife Janay is willing to accept him, then the NFL should work out a plan for him to return to the NFL, after one year off the field.
Some people will not be in favor of allowing Rice back into the NFL but everybody is entitled to a second chance as long as the individual shows serious remorse and completes an anger management program. If Rice gets a second chance then he could become one of the strongest advocates against domestic violence worldwide. Rice is in the process of fighting one of the biggest fights of his life right now, and it's up to him to come out and denounce his actions like a man. This way, he can begin the healing process for himself, his wife and their family. People do recover and bounce back from adversity in life.
This story is not intended to take up for Rice or any man found guilty of committing the act of domestic violence. However, every now and then in history a situation such as this occurs to bring much needed attention to a bigger problem in the world. Women deserve all of the respect worldwide. It would be great if the NFL were to start a domestic violence intervention program to help present and future NFL Players become more aware of this serious issue. Providing athletes and men in general with the necessary tools to help identify triggers that lead to domestic violence would be the main goal of the intervention program. Rice will only get a second chance if he puts in the work to help bring about the healing process in his life.