There’s been a ton of conversation surrounding former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, the attack on his then-fiancée Jenay and the NFL’s subsequent indefinite suspension, but now, a day after the brutal video of the beating hit the Internet, the victim has something to say.
“I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend,” Jenay Rice wrote in a private Instagram post on Tuesday morning (September 9), ESPN reports. “But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare itself. No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing.”
On February 15, the 206-pound football star hit Jenay in the face in an elevator in an Atlantic City, New Jersey hotel. She fell unconscious and Rice attempted to drag his then-fiancée out of the elevator before he was stopped by security. The couple got married about a month after the incident.
In May, Rice entered a pretrial diversion program, which will allow him to avoid a formal prosecution if he attends the program for one year. If he completes the program, the aggravated assault charges will be dismissed, while the arrest will stay on his record.
The NFL originally suspended Rice for two games and fined him more than $500,000 in July, but yesterday, after video of the attack was posted onto TMZ, the Baltimore Ravens cut Rice from the team and the NFL suspended him indefinitely amid much public scrutiny.
The Ravens also announced on Tuesday that they will be offering exchanges for all Ray Rice jerseys.
Still, Jenay Rice defends her husband and suggests that punishment, criticism and media coverage is too severe.
“To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don’t you all get,” she wrote. “If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!”
If you or someone you know is experiencing relationship abuse, please head to Love Is Respect.
For more information and vital facts about gender-based violence and, specifically, dating violence, head over to Look Different.
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