The video is utterly horrifying....or at least it should be, for anyone who has a soul. Ray Rice and his fiancée walk into an elevator. They begin to argue. He strikes her once, across the face. She lunges at him and spits in his face. He punches her so hard she crumples to the ground, unconscious from the blow.
Yes, the Ravens were right to release him from his contract. Yes, the NFL was right to ban him indefinitely. To do any less would be to condone his behavior. To do any less would make it okay.
It's not okay.
I don't care that she married him after it happened. I don't care that she spit in his face. It wouldn't matter if she'd called his mother a whore. SHE IS THE VICTIM. It isn't her fault.
Ray Rice can shout from the rooftops all day long that it was a one time mistake. He is lying. Watch the video. Watch how easy it was for him. Watch him drag her unconscious body out of the elevator and lay her facedown in the hall, then nudge her to the side with his foot. Ray Rice has done this before. The one time mistake he's referring to is getting caught.
Stop calling her stupid. Stop blaming her for staying. You can't understand what it's like until you've been there, terrified of someone who is supposed to love you. You don't know what he says or what threats he's made. She needs help. She needs compassion. She is one in four women in this country. Just read the #WhyIStayed feed on twitter.
Most importantly, stop tolerating it. Don't excuse it. Don't walk by and pretend not to see. Don't let them play. Ever.
Yes, just yes.
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