Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice apologized for his role in a domestic violence incident with his then-fiancee last year in a letter to Baltimore published by the Baltimore Sun on Friday.
In the statement, he also thanked owner Steve Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh.
The apology comes almost one year to the day when Rice was arrested in Atlantic City after an incident with his now-wife in a casino elevator.
The NFL suspended Rice for two games after he pleaded not guilty to third-degree charge of aggravated assault. He received no jail time after applying for a pretrial intervention program.
In September, TMZ published another video showing Rice striking Palmer inside the elevator, prompting outrage and calls for the NFL to increase Rice’s punishment. Previously, the only public video of the incident was footage of Rice dragging Palmer out of the elevator. After the release of the elevator video, the Ravens terminated Rice’s contract and the NFL suspended him indefinitely.
The full apology letter:
Rice, 27, appealed that suspension and was ultimately reinstated by the league. He has yet to sign with a team.
An investigation headed by former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III found no evidence that the NFL had seen the videotape before it was publicly released, but it also determined that the league did not do enough to obtain the tape from law enforcement.
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