NBA Star Defends Ray Rice in Controversial and Quickly Deleted Tweets

Indiana Pacers star Paul George deleted and apologized for controversial—and quickly criticized—tweets Thursday morning that defended disgraced former Batlimore Ravens star Ray Rice against public condemnation for domestic abuse.

Here are screen grabs of the now-deleted tweets, analyzing Janay Rice’s role in the attack. He excused the elevator attack both because Janay forgave him:

And because she allegedly provoked him:

The NBA player then apologized:

Since the release of a video showing Rice knocking his wife unconscious in a casino elevator, Twitter has become a key platform to discuss domestic violence—inspiring hashtags including #WhyILeft and #WhyIStayed to shed light on the mindset of victims of abuse.