Former running back Ray Rice was warmly received by a significant portion of the M&T Bank Stadium crowd on Sunday as he was honored as a “Ravens Legend of the Game.”
This recognition marked Rice’s first formal acknowledgment since the Ravens released him in September 2014 following a domestic violence incident earlier that year. Videos had captured Rice punching, kicking, and dragging Janay, his then-fiancée and now wife, from an elevator in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Accompanied by his son and daughter, Rice walked out of the tunnel on Sunday, pointing at his flexed left biceps and then pounding his fist against his heart.
Ray Rice (Credits: NFL)
“This is as big as winning the Super Bowl for me,” Rice shared during a pregame interview on the Ravens’ website. “I’m just overly thankful.”
Now 36 years old, Rice has maintained a connection with the team over the years, particularly mentoring rookies on the importance of professionalism and accountability. Following his release from the Ravens, Rice did not play in another NFL game.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Rice played a pivotal role in the Ravens’ Super Bowl victory in 2012 and remains the franchise’s all-time leader in career all-purpose yards with 9,377.
