More on Ray Rice, TMZ, The NFL and more.

If you've worked in a corporate environment, you know something ain't right about this Ray Rice video story. If you've worked in a union, you know several things aren't right. I know if you've followed this story, you've heard enough, but let's approach this from a new angle. The only angle that really matters to all the players involved: money.

Easy part first. Who wanted this second video released? TMZ. They get hits on their webpage, ad money, prestige. This furthers their ability to scoop in the future. Everyone is mentioning TMZ when this story comes up . Simple. They make more money.

Back to my original point. Who stands to lose? EVERYONE else involved. Everyone. The NFL, the NFLPA (the players' union), the Baltimore Ravens, and yes, even the casino.

One at a time: The casino wants celebrities to come spend money and get away with things celebrities get away with, anonymously. The release of the elevator video is bad for the casino.

The Baltimore Ravens did nothing to Rice, letting the league handle his discipline. They even held a very mismanaged press conference, standing behind Rice. They looked like they care more about performance on the field than they do taking a stand against a violent, criminal offender, because they do. Had Rice been third on the depth chart, he'd have been immediately released.

The NFLPA surely requested any evidence the NFL received relevant to the punishment of Rice. That's what unions do. It's called due process. Nobody in a union has ever been punished without union representation.  The NFLPA has a problem on its hands with players getting arrested. No one cares when a couple of guys smoke pot on their way to the airport. Anyone who watched this video and doesn't care is sub-human. They didn't want this video released. They HAVE to defend Rice. Notice their silence through this whole affair.

Enough has been said of Godell's mishandling of this situation. He made a bad decision early and stood by it. Whether he saw the second video or not is irrelevant. He probably didn't so he could truthfully say he didn't. He is a lawyer. He has the resources to get it, and the responsibility to see it as the judge and jury responsible for player discipline.

Godell, the NFL, the Ravens, and everyone else involved counted on one thing. There was too much money at stake for everyone involved to let the video leak. They failed to realize that everything leaks now. If there's a digital copy - an email, text, or video, in this case, it WILL eventually get out. 

It's up to us to decide how to react to this. Let's face it. Most of us will forget in a few weeks. My only hope is this advances awareness of the societal acceptance of domestic violence. It's not just never okay to hit a woman. It's never okay to hit a man. Let's follow some basic guidelines we learned in kindergarten.  If Rice did, if Godell did, we'd be talking about football players playing football right now. And trust me, I'd much rather do that.

By: Josh Henderson

Twitter: @verybadwrong

Former Baltimore Ravens Player Ray Rice Suspended Indefinitely From NFL!

PHOTO CREDIT: thebaltimoresun.com 

On the afternoon of Monday, September 8, 2014 former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice had indefinitely been suspended by the NFL and officially released from the infamous Maryland team. The issue surfaced when a video was revealed nationally of Rice intentionally knocking his girlfriend unconscious in an elevator. After TMZ surfaced the elevator footage of Beyonce, Jay Z, and Solange's fiasco in May, in reference to the incident Beyonce quotes in her Flawlessremix, “Of course sometimes sh*t goes down when it’s a billion dollars on an elevator!”  it would have been a smart decision of Rice to leave his poor choice of actions in private. 

Not to necessarily say that I consort with his actions, but with so much at stake, the Baltimore Ravens second draft pick of 2008 has now left his career in shambles! Due to an arrest and indictment of third-degree assault made on May 28, 2014 stating that he allegedly punched, his fiancé, now wife Janay Palmer in the face, Rice has put a burden on himself that will be hard to fix. Whether he potentially knew what he was getting himself into when performing that mighty blow towards his lover or not is beyond the issue at this tip, the NFL has shown no mercy. 

It seems as if no one will let up from the situation as of today and to be quite realistic, this is an issue that will leave Rice little to no room to prosper. With the NFL standing for more than just throwing a ball into a spiral motion in the air, they’ve molded their players into potential role models and leaders. Surely if something happens in which a player is not abiding to certain policies, consequences will be dealt. 

In May, Rice entered a pretrial intervention leading the charges to be expunged within a year and a prosecution not being made. Many will seek to ensure that issues will be handled in a proper manner while others will oppose the decisions that have been made. Despite what others may feel, Rice has demanded the necessary steps to go ahead by entering counseling with his wife to go out their publications. He knows his actions as inexcusable, but considers that nothing further can be done if he does not set out to lead his household and himself in a confident way. 

Although Ray Rice has done a fearful affair, we must not forget that he is in fact a human. Everyone makes mistakes, but domestic violence is surely nothing to be toiled with, especially in today’s society. As he proceeds to travel onward from this issue I actually hope he counts not just what he has to lose but its value in terms of his family, vocation, and deference as a person. I bid him a good face on his endeavors and hopefully we’ll be able hear about positivity from Rice in the hereafter. 

By: Alexis J. Robinson

Twitter: Theywant_BOOSIE