Former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice — who reportedly swore off hard alcohol after the infamous Atlantic City assault on his wife, Janay, following a night of heavy drinking — was seen surrounded by booze when he and Janay partied with pals in Manhattan into the early hours of Sunday morning, spies said.
Onlookers say Ray and Janay appeared to be out celebrating his reinstatement to the NFL during one of their first nights out in public together since the scandal broke. But they were at a pal’s birthday, and despite being surrounded by bottles of vodka, tequila and whiskey, sources close to Rice — who’s hoping to be picked up by an NFL team — insist he abstained from drinking.
Spies saw the Rices on Saturday at Flatiron lounge Bounce Sporting Club with about seven other couples, where “they were just hanging at a table, laughing and drinking,” one witness said. The group “had vodka, tequila, Champagne and Bounce’s banana-infused Jameson shots. The group was relaxed, it seemed like a couples’ night out.” Our source claimed both Rice and Janay were seen imbibing.
But Rice’s team insisted to Page Six that he stayed well clear of any alcohol. A rep told us: “They were celebrating a friend’s birthday, but Ray deliberately did not pick up a drink.”
To some patrons at Bounce, the Rices and their friends appeared to be celebrating a judge’s Friday ruling that league commissioner Roger Goodell’s indefinite suspension of Rice was incorrect and “arbitrary.”
But a source close to Rice’s camp countered, “They were in town for Thanksgiving to see their families in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle. They were not celebrating the decision. They were [at Bounce] celebrating a friend’s birthday with about 14 other people.”
We also hear that Ray was staying at Janay’s parents’ home for Thanksgiving.
On Monday, Janay appeared in a “Today” interview with Matt Lauer and her mother. At least four teams have reportedly expressed interest in Rice, including the Colts and Saints.