Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been front and center in the news lately, and not for anything he did on the football field. As most everyone not in a coma knows, Rice had a physical altercation with his then girlfriend, now wife, which resulted in a misdemeanor assault charge.
Obviously, the couple patched things up between them, because they indeed went on to be married shortly thereafter. Further, Rice has been cycled through the jurisprudence system as well as his own employer's (NFL) idea of justice.
Whether or not Rice's punishment(s) for his misdeed is appropriate is currently the subject of much debate. I won't get into that here, because opinions will always differ on such matters, and to each their own. Too lenient? Too harsh? Not my call. It is what it is and life goes on.
Or at least it should. But that's not the way it works these days, is it? There are many that can never seem to let go of an unfortunate incident. They want more from the "defendant".
Doing the handed down time for the crime isn't good enough anymore. A defendant must show remorse. And even that isn't sufficient. Others with their own agendas will jump in and expect the defendant to become a spokesperson for their various causes, attending seminars, giving speeches to kids, etc., and , of course, making a healthy donation. In the end, especially amongst high-profile rich defendants, money always seems to come into play. Imagine that.
Like most other big-time athletes, Rice has seemingly done all the right things within his control in the aftermath of his malfeasance. At his press conference, Rice said his action was totally inexcusible and he took full responsibility for it.
Further, he would have accepted whatever punishment the NFL deemed fit, be it a 2,4,6,8 whatever game suspension. He owned his own actions and was going to be a man about it.
He would go on to say he let down his wife, her parents, his own daughter, and the Baltimore community for 30 seconds of his life that he wished he could take back -- but he can't. And c'mon, it's not like he's a terrorist or serial killer.
In my opinion, none of this was necessary. If you do the crime, you do the time -- and then it's supposed to be over. Remorse and apologies are optional (and likely oftentimes only offered to get lenience, but not heartfelt). And where along the line did "victim impact" statements become allowed? It's irrelevant -- always has been. A guilty verdict on whatever charges will result in a judge handing down an appropriate sentence. All the whiny stuff belongs in the purview of the media or social networking, not the courtroom.
Still, there are those that continue to hammer on Ray Rice. Late night talking sports head Keith Olbermann is one of them. The KO man did a whole segment on how Rice owned up to his actions, but never said exactly what those actions were. Evidently, he didn't bother to watch the widely publicized video of the actual incident or have his staff get him a copy of the police report and/or court transcript -- both matters of public record.
No, Olbermann has joined the long and growing list of public whiners that want to kick someone when they're down. Justice isn't enough. Make them grovel, beg, and be totally humiliated in front of the world. And that's as wrong as whatever Ray Rice did on that elevator.
Rice did the crime and he's received and accepted his punishment like a man. I used to like Olbermann for his irreverant ways (which likely explains why he's been fired so often) but his latest Rice rant gives me pause. KO wants details. Blood, guts, gore, all the good stuff that makes a sensational story, while not showing a modicum of respect for what Ray Rice has already done.
Maybe in a perfect world, Olbermann, like most other reporters, will find himself on the other side of the equation someday being publicly dissected and put on show by someone else for one of their own misdeeds. Only then can these people get a full appreciation of what it feels like.
One can only hope.
In the meantime, enough with Ray Rice already. He's a good dude that made a mistake, and he's owned up to it like the man he is.
Time to move on and let the man get back into training camp with the rest of his Ravens teammates. His wife is fine, his daughter's fine, his teammates and coaches are solidly behind him, and he got a standing ovation when he took the practice field from the Baltimore fans.
'Nuff said.
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