Janay Rice, the wife of star National Football League running back Ray Rice, said in a recent televised interview that she believes that she and her husband were chosen by God to bring domestic abuse issues to the forefront. The interview was conducted on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. Her controversial comments have made the already significant controversy surrounding Ray Rice’s actions (and the NFL’s response to them) even more volatile.
Rice first permeated the national consciousness when a video surfaced of her husband brutally beating her in a casino elevator. The incident occurred in February 2014, although the video was not released until several months later. The release of the video unleashed a firestorm of controversy on social media.
Ray Rice, who had initially been given a two game suspension, was later suspended indefinitely by the NFL. The interview with Janay Rice occurred just three days after her husband had won his appeal and was reinstated as an active NFL player. Rice has yet to be signed by a team.
Janay Rice stated that she has accepted that she and her husband have become symbols for domestic abuse in the eyes of the general population. She insisted, however, that she does not consider herself to be a domestic abuse victim. Rice said that the elevator incident was the only time that her husband has struck her. She emphasized that, from her perspective, the media has blown the incident out of proportion.