'I Have to Be Strong:' Ray Rice, NFL, Ex-Rutgers Star Speaks Out

By Elizabeth Janney (Patch Staff)

After being cut from the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the NFL, former Rutgers University football star Ray Rice told two reporters on Tuesday that he is focusing on staying strong for his family.

“I have to be strong for my wife. She is so strong,” Rice told ESPN reporter Josina Anderson over the phone. “We are in good spirits. We have a lot of people praying for us, and we’ll continue to support each other. I have to be there for (Janay) and my family right now and work through this.”

Click here to read about a top lawmaker’s call to probe the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s handling of the situation.

Rice and his wife, Janay, who was his fiancée at the time of the Feb. 15 assault in Atlantic City, have reportedly been in counseling since the incident, which led to his being charged with third-degree assault. He was admitted into a pretrial intervention program in New Jersey, an opportunity for first-time offenders to receive support services and possibly have charges expunged from their records.

After TMZ on Monday released footage of the assault that led to the charge, the Baltimore Ravens terminated Rice’s contract, ensuring his record will forever reflect the turn of events.

“There was a weight of the situation in his tone in terms of how he sounded,” the ESPN reporter told NJ.com, reflecting on the phone interview.

Rice echoed that he was hanging in there for his family in a statement to CNN.

“I’m just holding strong for my wife and kid; that’s all I can do right now,” Rice told CNN in a text message.

ESPN’s Anderson said that after she spoke with Rice, he handed the phone to his wife, who said she loved and supported her husband and requested that people respect their privacy.

Janay Rice also issued a statement on Instagram Tuesday morning, stating that the assault was “a moment in our lives that we regret every day.”

Ray Rice previously said he and Janay “wish we could take back 30 seconds of our life,” in a May press conference, where he also reported they were becoming better parents as a result of the lessons learned. Ray and Janay Rice have a child named Rayven.

Photo Credit: YouTube/ The Hollywood Gossip. Ray Rice and Janay Palmer.