Wife/Victim of Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice Influence Roger Goodell's Decision?

The NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have been coming under fire ever since Goodell handed down a two game suspension for Ravens running back Ray Rice. The general perception is that the league is way too soft on domestic violence.

If what Peter King has stated in a recent post is true the league is likely going to come under even more fire.

@CBSSports

In a recent post on MMQB King claimed that Goodell was influenced by the plea that Rice's wife Janay made during a hearing:

Rice’s wife, a source said, made a moving and apparently convincing case to Goodell during a June 16 hearing at Goodell’s office in Manhattan—attended by Rice, GM Ozzie Newsome, club president Dick Cass of Baltimore; and Goodell, Jeff Pash and Adolpho Birch of the league—that the incident in the hotel elevator was a one-time event, and nothing physical had happened in their relationship before or since. She urged Goodell, the source said, to not ruin Rice’s image and career with his sanctions.

If that was the case Goodell deserves to get raked over the coals not only because of the possibility she may have done so out of fear, but because of the precedent it sets.

It is not uncommon for victims of domestic violence to be influenced by their attackers to recant their statements at a later time either out of belief that he really will not do it again or fear that he'll do worse if she doesn't.

Did that happen here? One would hope not, but we don't know for sure. What we do know now is that the next guy that gets in trouble for hitting his girlfriend or wife can get a lighter sentence if he gets her to plead with Goodell to go easy on him.

There were other factors that King gives for the Rice only being suspended two games chief among them the fact that Rice was not prosecuted.

Talk about a coward's way out.

Rice hit his wife, but since the law--and we all know the law is never wrong--is doing nothing the league is doing next to nothing. If the NFL is going to try and make a statement about domestic violence, drunk driving, drug use, and the many other things players get in trouble over it needs to do it--not half-ass.

But if you wear the wrong colored socks, cleats, or a towel that was not preapproved you better watch out!

[MMBQ]

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