Hours after a disturbing video of NFL running back Ray Rice knocking out his fiancee on an elevator surfaced, the Baltimore Ravens announced Monday afternoon (Sept. 8) that the team has terminated his contract.
The #Ravens have terminated RB Ray Rice’s contract this afternoon.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 8, 2014
TMZ obtained video of 27-year-old Rice punching his wife, Janay Palmer, at the Revel Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey this past February. Rice was currently serving a two-game suspension ordered by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this year. The firing comes after the league issued the following statement: “We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator. That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.” In May, Rice hosted an SMH-worthy press conference, apologizing to team owner Steve Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome, and head coach John Harbaugh, but… not his wife. In a PR-ready statement, he said, “Failure is not getting knocked down, it’s not getting back up.” Rice will become a free agent once his termination paperwork has been finalized.