Wife defends Rice in online post

Sep 9, 2014 - 7:12 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The wife of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice defended her husband in an online post Tuesday, saying "reality is a nightmare" for the couple and calling attention from the media and public "unwanted."

Janay Rice made the post on Instagram one day after her husband was cut by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the NFL following the release of a video showing him striking her in the face inside an Atlantic City casino elevator.

"I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I'm mourning the death of my closest friend," she wrote. "But to have to accept the fact that it's reality is a nightmare in itself. No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted (opinions) from the public has caused my family.

"To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific.

"THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don't you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!"

The Baltimore Sun said it has verified the authenticity of the post and that is was meant to be released publicly.

Ray Rice spoke to ESPN.com by phone on Tuesday and said, "I have to be strong for my wife. She is so strong. ... We are in good spirits. We have a lot of people praying for us and we'll continue to support each other."

"I have to be there for (Janay) and my family right now and work through this," he said.

She told ESPN.com, "I love my husband. I support him. I want people to respect our privacy in this family matter."

The Ravens terminated Rice's contract on Monday after TMZ posted video of the altercation inside the now-closed Revel Casino. The gossip site had previously posted a video showing Rice dragging his then-fiancee out of the elevator soon after the incident in February, which led to Rice initially being suspended by the NFL for two games.

Monday's video shows the couple entering the elevator, apparently arguing, and then Rice hitting her with a left-handed blow as she moved toward him. She is knocked off her feet and her head slams into a railing inside the elevator, apparently knocking her unconscious.

Both the Ravens and the NFL said they had not seen that particular video until Monday.

"It's something we saw for the first time today. It changed things," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said following practice on Monday.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement that the league did not have prior access to this video.

"We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator," Aiello said. "That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today."

On Tuesday, The Associated Press said it has seen a longer video that includes audio of the confrontation in which the couple is yelling obscenities at each other.

The AP said she appears to spit in his face before he punches her. The wire service said it shown the video by a law enforcement official under the condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to show it.

Rice was arrested after the incident and charged with simple assault-domestic violence but avoided prosecution by entering into a pretrial intervention program. The charges against him will be expunged from his record upon successful completion of the one-year program.

The NFL's initial two-game suspension was widely criticized, prompting the league to institute a harsher policy for players and league personnel over domestic violence cases. It includes a six-week suspension without pay for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second offense.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to NFL owners announcing the new rules that he "didn't get it right" when he suspended Rice in July for two games.

Rice offered an apology in May and did so again in July at the start of the Ravens' training camp, calling his actions that night "totally inexcusable."