Ray Rice began his uphill bid to return to the NFL on Friday by apologizing to Baltimore for the domestic-violence incident last year that brought his career to a screeching halt.
The three-time Pro Bowl running back, a New Rochelle native who reportedly is planning to move back to New York City, sent a brief statement to The Baltimore Sun thanking the Ravens and their fans for their support during his seven-year stint with the team.
Rice made the statement almost a year to the day after the Feb. 15, 2014, incident at the since-closed Revel casino in Atlantic City in which he knocked his then-fiancee unconscious in an elevator.
“This is not a farewell or goodbye,” Rice wrote to the paper. “The last seven years that my family and I have spent in Baltimore have by far been the best of our lives. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown my family and I throughout my football career. We’ll always be grateful for the love we’ve received from all of our fans and supporters, and for winning a Super Bowl.”
Rice then apologized to “all the kids who looked up to me” by saying he was “truly sorry for letting you down.”
“I hope it’s helped you learn that one bad decision can turn your dream into a nightmare,” the former Rutgers star wrote. “There is no excuse for domestic violence, and I apologize for the horrible mistake I made. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and I hope to make a positive difference in people’s lives by raising awareness of this issue.”
Rice closed by thanking the Ravens as a whole and specifically owner Steve Bisciotti, GM Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh, even though the team unceremoniously cut him last September after interior video of the elevator incident surfaced on TMZ.
“I love you all very much, and I’ll always be proud to say I played for the Baltimore Ravens,” Rice wrote.
Rice has been reinstated to the NFL thanks to a November decision by an outside arbitrator, but he appears to be facing long odds of making it back to the league anytime soon.
A league source confirmed Rice — a free agent — has not visited or worked out with any NFL teams.
That is not a surprise, for several reasons. Not only does Rice play a position that has been significantly devalued by the influx of spread passing offenses and the backfield-by-committee strategy, but he also averaged just 3.1 yards per carry (a career low) in 2013.
League executives say Rice’s off-field baggage isn’t worth the potential image headache when competent running backs can be found so easily and cheaply. The Ravens themselves proved it last season, when Rice’s journeyman replacement — Justin Forsett, a former seventh-round pick — ran for 1,266 yards.
Free agency this year also could mark the first time a reigning NFL rushing champion is allowed to change teams. The Cowboys appear willing to let 1,845-yard rusher DeMarco Murray walk in order to re-sign wide receiver Dez Bryant.