White House Hails Cut of Ray Rice for Domestic Violence

The White House expressed support late Monday for the Baltimore Ravens’ decision to terminate Ray Rice’s contract after leaked video footage showed the running back committing a violent assault against his then-fiancee.

“The President is the father of two daughters,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, “and like any American, he believes that domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society. Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that’s true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors. Stopping domestic violence is something that’s bigger than football—and all of us have a responsibility to put a stop to it.”

Vice President Joe Biden joined the chorus of condemnation in a Tuesday interview with the Today show. “When the video was out there,” Biden said, “and [they] saw how brutal it was, the Ravens did the right thing: fired him immediately.”

The NFL has indefinitely suspended Rice after TMZ released a video showing Rice punching his then-fiancee in an elevator and then dragging her unconscious body into the hallway of an Atlantic City hotel.