Ray Rice’s wife posts message criticising media for coverage of assault on her by ‘the man I love’

THE wife of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has criticised the media for its coverage of the brutal attack on her by “the man I love”.

FILE - In this May 23, 2014, file photo, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, right, speaks alongside his wife, Janay, during a news conference at the team's practice facility in Owings Mills, Md. A new video that appears to show Ray Rice striking then-fiance Janay Palmer in an elevator last February has been released on a website. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

IN AN emotional message, the wife of former Ravens running back Ray Rice broke her silence Tuesday morning, one day after Rice’s contract was terminated and he was indefinitely suspended by the NFL.

Those events followed a graphic video surfacing in which Rice punched his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, whom he later married and now has his last name.

The couple has been in counselling since the incident in February, which occurred at Revel Casino, which has since closed, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Here’s the full statement (her Instagram profile is private, but the Baltimore Sun has confirmed that the statement was intended to be made public):

Ray Rice's wife Janay posts statement on her Instagram account defending her husband. http://t.co/78y9heSTkA pic.twitter.com/dUe4HdAS2o”

— Chick Hernandez (@CHICKatCSN) September 9, 2014

The Ravens were due to have paid Rice $10 million over the next three years while the National Football League, which had only suspended him for two games over the matter based on prior evidence, now require any team wishing to hire him to obtain approval from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The video brought home the brutality of Rice’s assault and in its aftermath, Nike dropped its endorsement contract with the 27-year-old running back and EA Sports said it would remove him from the player pool of its NFL video game.

Rice jerseys were pulled from the NFL’s online store and the Ravens announced Tuesday they would allow fans to exchange Rice jerseys for those of another player.

A Baltimore restaurant offered free pizza in exchange for Rice jerseys.

Days before he was to have returned from the original ban, Rice was in disgraced exile.

“I don’t think he will play another NFL game,” New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told CBS. “I’d be shocked if some team picked him up.”

Rice, who helped the Ravens win the 2013 Super Bowl, spoke briefly with ESPN.

“I have to be strong for my wife. She is so strong,” he said. “We are in good spirits. We have a lot of people praying for us and we will continue to support each other.

“I have to be there for (Janay) and my family right now and work through this.”

In this still image taken from a hotel security video released by TMZ Sports, sacked Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punches his fiancee, Janay Palmer.

Celebrity website TMZ had previously shown a video of Rice dragging his unconscious wife out of a lift at the now-closed Revel casino in Atlantic City, prompting a two-game ban that was roundly criticised as insufficient.

Goodell later admitted he had erred with the two-game ban, and subsequently announced tougher punishments for domestic violence, including a six-game ban for a first incident and potential life bans for repeat offenders.

After TMZ reported Tuesday that no one from the NFL asked the casino for the video that was given to police and became public Monday, the league released a statement repeating that no one from the NFL had seen the video until TMZ released it.

In this still image released by TMZ Sports, Ray Rice drags his fiancee, Janay Palmer, out of an elevator moments after knocking her out.

“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including any video that may exist,” the NFL said.

“That video was not made available to us and no one in our office saw it until yesterday.”

A state official in New Jersey told ABC News that providing the video to the NFL would have been illegal given the charges that had been filed against Rice over the matter.

Rice was arrested after the incident and charged with domestic violence assault, but avoided prosecution by entering into a pre-trial intervention program.

Rice apologised for his actions in May and again in July, when pre-season workouts began, saying his actions were “totally inexcusable.”

The Ravens also said they had not seen the video until Monday, coach John Harbaugh adding, “It changed things.”

Originally published as Ray Rice’s wife posts message criticising media for coverage of assault on her by ‘the man I love’