Ray Rice Attends New Rochelle H.S. Football Game Amid Domestic Violence Scandal
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Ray Rice was spotted at a football game at his former high school in New York Saturday afternoon.
According to published reports, Rice attended the game with his wife, Janay Rice, and their infant daughter in New Rochelle.
Support among those in the stands for Rice's surprise return was nearly unanimous.
Each person 1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten spoke with at New Rochelle High School Saturday said Rice made a mistake, he's paying for it and deserves a second chance. Some even said they were happy he attended the game.
"I'm pretty sure there were some people probably upset, but most people were happy because everyone loves him here," one woman said.
Ray Rice Attends New Rochelle H.S. Football Game Amid Domestic Violence Scandal
"Pretty cool. We know him well, but what happened is very upsetting. It gives a bad image to the school. But all in all, he has done so much for us," one man told 1010 WINS.
Some people CBS 2's Steve Langford spoke with echoed that sentiment.
"As a community, we're here for him. We're trying to support him and help him through his ordeal right now," one person said.
"I was happy to see him. People make mistakes and we just feel very strongly that he deserves another chance," said another.
The man who coached Rice at New Rochelle High School nearly a decade ago declared the Rice he knows will rise from the incident and help others learn.
"Having him here today means the world to me. I've known Ray Rice since he was in 8th grade and he's had one misstep in the years that I've known him," former coach Louis DeRienzo said. "I think my kids are getting great lessons in terms of making a mistake, admitting it, not repeating it and learning from it. So what better lesson to learn from an NFL superstar?"
But inside the high school, Rice's jersey and photo have been removed from the school's wall of fame.
"Students have to know that people do things that are really wrong. And in this instance, Ray did something that was really, really bad, and that there are consequences to that," Principal Reginald Richardson said Saturday.
Not everyone agreed Rice's appearance was welcome.
"I don't really have any comment. I mean, I guess he just came back to get some show of support from the team crowd," one person at the game said.
"You know, it's a family issue and he should have the decency to keep away I guess," another said.
As CBS 2 reported, Rice has been a strong supporter of New Rochelle's team, donating items like jerseys to the players.
"This mistake he made will be erased by the good deeds he will continue to do and because of the good deeds he has done, New Rochelle will always be Ray Rice's home," DeRienzo said.
The running back was released by the Ravens on Monday and was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after TMZ published what it said was video from inside the elevator at the shuttered Revel Casino in Atlantic City, where Rice was arrested on Feb. 15 for a domestic dispute involving his now-wife Janay.
The video shows Rice hitting Janay with a left cross, which knocks her head into the railing before she hits the floor. Rice then drags his apparently unconscious fiancée out of the elevator.
Previously, he had been suspended two games by the league and the Ravens organization had announced its support for him.
The case has put the NFL in an uncomfortable spotlight as it faces criticism for how it handles cases where players are accused of domestic violence.
In an exclusive interview with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell on Tuesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was adamant that the second video was "new evidence" that no one within the NFL had seen before Monday.
A day later, however, a source told the Associated Press a law enforcement official sent the second video to a league executive five months ago.
The NFL announced Wednesday night that an independent investigation will be launched into those claims.
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