Does Ray Rice Deserve A Second Chance?

Image Credit: www.usatoday.com

By: Kai Jones

Edited by: Dana P. (E.I.C.)

Ray Rice has done something almost unprecedented. He beat a Roger Goodell suspension. Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely after a video of an assault on his wife, (then fiancé) was leaked, which may have been justified. However considering that, he's already been punished, which is not right. Of course Roger Goodell claimed he was lied to or misled. On Friday, Judge Barbara Jones ruled that Goodell was wrong and made the suspension arbitrarily. So Ray Rice is now an NFL player, what does that mean though?

It means Rice can move past this ugly in incident and focus on himself, his family, and his career. Before this incident, Rice had been a law-abiding citizen and loved by people who knew him. Nothing speaks more to Rice’s character than right after the incident, while his high school removed his jersey from its walls, current students questioned the decision. Also, while the Ravens allowed fans to exchange his jersey, some fans still showed their support of Rice and wore his jersey to the games. After the decision, Rice even had two former teammates tweet their support. Rice was clearly well liked and have never been in the news before for criminal activities, and clearly he made a huge mistake, which he acknowledged. Rice is sorry and ready to get back to football. People may have forgotten but before the incident, Rice was an all-pro, championship winning running back. Who will give him a shot? The biggest rumor has been the Indianapolis Colts because of the injuries to Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson isn’t living up to expectations, could use a running back for their playoff run.

Aside from Rice, there's Roger Goodell. Roger Goodell has ruled the NFL with almost an iron fist. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ players in 2011, during the lockout, chose not to ratify the new CBA because Goodell gets to be the judge, jury, and sometimes executioner. This was overlooked at the time, but now it seems smart, and maybe Rice and the New Orleans Saints understand. It’s easy to overdose on power, and Goodell has overdosed. With this decision, it shows how much of a snake Goodell can be, as he lied to cover himself. While I respect what he tries to do, the NFL needs a system of checks and balances.

This decision was the right thing to do. Even the constitution won’t let a man be punished twice, so no way should the NFL be allowed to use double jeopardy to save face.