On Thursday, I was given the opportunity to speak on "The Willis Report" on the Fox Business channel about the Ray Rice situation, the independent investigation the owners are now conducting and the impact this all has on women football fans.
In addition, I have also given my thoughts personally on the whole Ray Rice incident in terms of how I currently look at him and where should he go from here:
Many believe that Rice should be banned from the NFL. Personally I think this is a reach. With the history of domestic violence being swept under the rug by the league (see Brandon Marshall), it is unfair to make Rice the fall guy of an ongoing problem. If willing to put in the hard work, I believe anyone deserves a second chance. Rice wasn’t a regular offender, this was his first offense in which he received counseling as his punishment by the state of NJ, which means as of now he doesn’t fit the time with the new domestic violence regulations by the league. I believe that Ray should sit out this year to work out his issues. Use this time to reflect on the event that happened and the affect his actions has on his family and learn how to effectively communicate without force.
To say this has been a controversial topic is an understatement. So many different thoughts are out there from people on Ray as a man, his wife Janay and her deciding to stay, as well as the Ravens and the NFL and this situation's handling on so many different spectrum. As a person who has had the opportunity to work with Ray in the past, I wanted to speak on my thoughts on this, being as though many have asked.
Overall, domestic violence is a serious topic that no one should take lightly. I hope the NFL continues to take the right course in the handling of domestic violence and sexual assault. Here is my interview with Gerri Willis of "The Willis Report" on the Fox Business Network.