Ex-Raven Ray Rice To Appear In NFL's Social Responsibility Video
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Former NFL player Ray Rice has yet to give up on the idea that he could be part of the National Football League once again. Rice has recently taken the first steps towards that goal and made a new connection with the league, even if it's not the opportunity he'd been hoping for.
Rice will be part of a 2-3 minute conversation in an hour-long social responsibility program to be presented to teams starting this May.
The former NFL player was interviewed to tell his story of domestic violence as a learning lesson.
Rice told USA Today:
"I just think there's so much more to learn from my situation...My story is a real story. Part of life's journey is just being able to tell my story now. A lot of men think, it can't happen to me. Well, I had a clean slate and it all came down to a terrible split-second decision. I want these guys to learn from it. I want them to be better for it. I want them to be better men. I'm fortunate enough to be in contact with the league and I'm thankful for the opportunity to tell it."
The NFL is preparing its fourth year of the social responsibility education program. The program is focused on prevention and bystander intervention. Their mission is to "implement consistent and thoughtful responses to societal issues by educating the NFL family, instituting transparent league policies, and actively engaging with communities to positively impact society."
The program, devised by the NFL with several domestic violence advisers and experts, will also include a discussion with a few other former Ravens like Steve Smith Sr. and Torrey Smith, both of whom grew up in violent households.