--- description: "To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing," Janay Rice says title: Janay Rice Instagrams a statement defending her husband and criticizing the media and NFL image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Football](/tag/football/) ## Football Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ray Rice's Wife Defends Husband, Criticizes NFL ## Video: Ray Rice Apology [Watch (HLS stream): Ray Rice Apology](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Fu9CAHZT.m3u8) (1:58)  _Published 2014-07-31. Ray Rice Apology_ by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 9, 2014 1:40 PM CUT by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 9, 2014 1:40 PM CUT The wife of disgraced NFL star Ray Rice defended her husband Tuesday after his suspension from the league for beating her unconscious, criticizing the media and the NFL for creating “a horrible nightmare” in her family’s life. Janay Rice, whose beating by her husband was [captured](http://www.si.com/nfl/video/2014/09/08/ray-rice-video-shows-him-striking-then-fiancee/?xid=timerail "undefined") on a TMZ video leaked Monday, took to her Instagram to describe the pain of reliving a “moment in our lives that we regret every day.” The running back was cut from the Ravens following the release of the video, and he received an indefinite [suspension](http://time.com/3304377/the-nfls-epic-breach-of-trust/ "undefined") from the NFL. Her full statement reads: --- > “” --- Although Janay’s account was since been made private, a screenshot of the message has been circulating on Twitter: > [](https://twitter.com/tjholmes/status/509324530817716224) Janay’s support of her husband and decision to stay in the marriage has garnered significant media attention. Thousands of women have since [created a powerful hashtag called #WhyIStayed](http://time.com/3307109/twitter-ray-rice-domestic-violence-abuse-whyistayed-whyileft/ "undefined"), explaining why women often remain in abusive relationships. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3308901/janay-rice-ray-rice-nfl-baltimore-ravens/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3308901/janay-rice-ray-rice-nfl-baltimore-ravens/"},"headline":"Ray Rice's Wife Defends Husband, Criticizes NFL","datePublished":"2014-09-09T13:40:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:56.640Z","description":"\"To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing,\" Janay Rice says","url":"https://time.com/3308901/janay-rice-ray-rice-nfl-baltimore-ravens/","keywords":["Football","Living","ray rice","Janay Rice"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/football/","name":"Football"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3308901/janay-rice-ray-rice-nfl-baltimore-ravens/","name":"Ray Rice's Wife Defends Husband, Criticizes NFL"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Ray Rice Apology","description":"Ray Rice Apology","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Fu9CAHZT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-07-31T18:54:15.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Fu9CAHZT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3308901/janay-rice-ray-rice-nfl-baltimore-ravens/","duration":"PT1M58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3308901/janay-rice-ray-rice-nfl-baltimore-ravens/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```