Ray Rice will be controversially honored as Legend of the Game by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday — a decade after he was filmed knocking out his then-fiancée Janay Palmer.
Rice, who is still just 36, helped the Ravens to a second Super Bowl victory in 2013 and the running back was also a three-time Pro Bowler during his six years with the franchise.
But his career was effectively ended by the shocking attack in February 2014, in which the then 27-year-old punched his current wife in the face, causing her to fall to the ground.
Rice was then captured on camera dragging the unconscious Palmer out of an elevator in Atlantic City before her head nearly became trapped in the doors.
He was later charged with aggravated assault, but evaded prosecution after participating in a pre-trial intervention program.
Ray Rice will be honored as Legend of the Game by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday
It comes almost a decade after he was filmed knocking his then fiancée Janay Palmer unconscious
He was initially banned by the NFL for just two games, but Rice was eventually released by the Ravens and received an indefinite suspension from the league.
Despite successfully appealing the sentence, Rice was left in exile without any team choosing to sign him as a free agent.
He returns to the Ravens on Sunday when they take on the Miami Dolphins. On Friday, the Ravens admitted that the attack put the former running back “at the center of a national conversation about domestic violence.”
But, the franchise wrote, “Rice is recognized for the player he was, and for the redemption he worked toward.
They continued, “Away from the public eye, Rice has been working on himself, his relationship and within the community.”
Rice and Palmer tied the knot just weeks after the attack. They have now been married for almost ten years and have two children together: Rayven, 11, and Jaylen, 7.
“Rice is recognized for the player he was, and for the redemption he worked toward,” the Ravens said
“I really understand why I was let go and why so many hearts changed. But hopefully people can see where I am now. They say people can change, right? I'm not the same person I was 10 to 12 years ago. That's just not who I am,” Rice said Raven.
“Every time I stepped on the field, I gave it my all. But I couldn't say the same for the life of me. Now I try to be the best version of myself.'
The 36-year-old recently moved back to the Baltimore area, where he coaches the Pikesville Wildcats' Under-13 and Under-7 teams.
In 2019, the former running back founded a nonprofit to help underprivileged children in Baltimore and his hometown of New Rochelle, New York.
'I want people to really see me. I'm still standing. I will still be strong. I'm still going to help as many people as possible. “I will still be a man in the community,” he said.
“My legacy will not be domestic violence. My legacy will be what I became,” Rice said
“I know what it feels like to feel like you're not worth it anymore… that made me more passionate about a second chance. You don't just throw people away.
“A lot of the things I had to overcome came from being at my lowest… I did something very wrong. I wasn't making anything in my life when it happened. My second chance was with my family.”
The Ravens say Rice has spoken to numerous NFL and college football teams in recent years and shared his story with others.don't make the same mistake'.
“I knew it would be hard to forgive me, but the one thing I've been consistent about is that I would get better. “I'm not going to be a victim of my past,” Rice said. “My legacy will not be domestic violence. My legacy will be what I became.”
Ravens president Sashi Brown added, “Nothing will change or make up for his past, but Ray's work has allowed him to atone for his actions and rebuild relationships personally and professionally, including with the Ravens.”