There is not a lot to say here other than mentioning that this is yet another example of how misogyny is embedded in our capitalist life.
Ray Rice apologizes for knocking out wife, makes wife apologize too
Janay Rice sat next to her husband during the press conference and, curiously, also spoke, apologizing for her "role in that night" though simple assault charges against her were eventually dropped. Footage from the night showed Rice dragging his wife's unconscious body from an elevator.
Well, okay, I have a few things to say.
First: WTF?!?!?!?!?!?
Now, that's off my chest, why is any team accepting this man at all? If his wife is, months later, apologizing for getting knocked unconscious by her husband and being dragged out of an elevator, clearly things are still pretty abusive in that relationship.
The "minor physical altercation" that Rice's attorney described appeared much more serious than that after footage emerged -- via TMZ, naturally -- of what was allegedly Rice dragging Palmer's limp body from an elevator by her shoulders.
Still, his team defends him:
The heads of the Ravens organization came to Rice's defense in the days following his arrest. Both Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome iterated that Rice would continue to be in the team's plans at running back.
Yeah, I have a problem with this. Doesn't anybody else?
When his wife first reported the incident, he and his lawyer claimed it was a minor offense. Later, she would try to drop the charges - not unusual for abuse victims - but, investigation by the police led to them increasing the original charge of simple assault to aggravated assault.
Then this:
The day after Rice's indictment, Rice and Palmer were married.
And it wasn't the way their wedding was planned:
According to the Baltimore Sun, the two had initially planned to have a summer wedding before moving the date up without a public explanation.
Um, anyone who knows anything about abusive relationships has the explanation readily available: this is the standard "hurt you, play contrite, convince you I really love you by marrying you" script, with the additional piece of avoiding feedback by sneaking it in without anyone knowing. Now, she's going to feel fully trapped.
But, hey, another guy says it's all good! His wide receiver friend who enabled, er, attended the wedding:
"I went by yesterday after everything happened and checked up on them and they're happy ... they're growing. They're trying to better themselves from it.
Because, you know, women are so happy after they've been knock unconscious. Nothing builds trust and a sense of contentment like a good beating. Grrrrr.
Here's where I get really pissed off and lean toward despair about any chance that we can be a decent society:
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Friday that the Ravens are anticipating that Rice will miss some time, but how long is unclear. Former Ravens cornerbacks Cary Williams and Fabian Washington earned two- and one-game suspensions, respectively, for similar first-time offenses of domestic violence, though neither was caught on tape.
You see? Beat your wife and you'll get a 1- or 2-game suspension. Oh, the horror! No jail time*, likely, because, well, you're really a good person.
Finally, there's this piece of the story:
First Take Discusses A Woman's Responsibility To Avoid Being Beaten
His central point here, to which he keeps returning after throwing out caveats about how domestic violence is not OK, is that if you are a woman who doesn't want to be beaten by men, you should make sure to do your part by not giving them a reason to do so.
That's right, two sports commentators address the suspension of a player for aggravated assault and they feel the important message to impart is how it's a woman's responsibility to avoid being beaten. They do suggest that men learn how to identify "provocation."
Given that Rice's wife is currently apologizing for "her role" in getting punched in the face, knocked unconscious and dragged around, clearly this is the message she's taking in.
What the fuck, people? Can we talk about our values here? Don't tell me woman aren't living in a war zone here. Bombs may not be falling, but we're being assaulted, raped, denied access to health care, devalued in the workplace and then we're supposed to apologize for being provocative. Those who abuse us are promoted and seen as leaders.
When does this stop?
* (I'm not even an advocate of prison time. I'd like to see our prison system abolished and replaced with a system of reconciliation and healing. Given that it's what we've got, though, it's a privileged position to avoid jail time for assault.)
11:04 AM PT: So, I'm already feeling ill from comments wherein people think a 2-game suspension is significant; that there should be no work ramifications for beating your wife; and that he may be a bad guy, "but".
I'm checking out.