Of all the flaws we can have as human beings, resorting to physical violence to solve our differences is about as bad as it gets. We should strive to be a civilized society, which doesn't mean cold-cocking someone any time they piss you off.
But all that doesn't necessarily mean Rice should lose his livelihood forever. Nobody is perfect and everybody should have a chance at redemption. Lessons must be learned from this whole mess and the right punishment needs to be applied.
Everyone, whatever their shortcomings, should be able to make an honest living doing what they do best, whether it's the guy who sells you your gas and cigarettes at the convenience store or your mailman. Whatever you think about football and professional sports in general, what Ray Rice does best is run with a football. Never letting him do that again would not serve the greater good. Using his privileged position as a pro athlete to send a positive message could.
The Ravens should have acted quickly and immediately when they saw the video tape instead of trying to cover it up. An indefinite suspension was a good first step. But now what?
Should the Ravens fire Rice or keep him? Do they want him to be a part of their team or not?
And if they do keep him, what kind of disciplinary action should be applied? How about a one-year suspension without pay and completing some kind of rehabilitation program? Maybe doing community service talking to young people about how messed up his behavior was.
The Raven's response will tell us a lot about who they are as an organization. Of course, the NFL should have the last word. It's their league. From the start, neither the Ravens nor the NFL have handled the Ray Rice thing correctly. Covering up bad behavior is never the right way to go and it appears that's what they both tried to do.
Daniel DeCamp
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