© Getty American footballer Ray Rice punched his fiancée Janay in the face and knocked her unconscious. His attorney called it a "minor physical altercation"
Comment: Domestic violence is the no. 1 cause of injury to women in America:
Obsessive control is starting point for deadly domestic abuse
Rice, a running back for NFL side Baltimore Ravens, has now been sacked by his franchise after the video was published by US website TMZ and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has also announced that Rice has been "indefinitely suspended" by the league.
But not before a long, drawn-out episode in which he appeared to get off far too lightly.
The initial incident
The running back was arrested in February of this year and later charged with "third-degree aggravated assault" - an initial video only showed the aftermath of the assault where Rice was seen dragging his fiancée's limp body out of an elevator at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City.
Rice's attorney initially described the incident as a "minor physical altercation".
© UnknownWoman beater and coward extraordinaire
Around the same time in May, Rice made a bungled apology alongside his now-wife Janay at a packed press conference - the pair had married in March.
Sometimes, you will fail, but I won't call myself a failure. A failure is not getting knocked down, it's not getting up.Unfortunate wording, I think you will agree. Rice went on to apologise to the team, his fans and "the kids", although as the New York Post points out, not his wife.
- Ray Rice
His employers then sent out this tweet which in light of the subsequent evidence is just quite incredible:
Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident.Because obviously Janay should not have been in the way of the professional athlete's fist...
Comment: In How to spot a dangerous man before you get involved Sandra L. Brown, M.A. writes:
We avoid describing and defining the characteristics that have caused him trouble in the past and that make him a danger to women today. We minimize his past, his negative personality traits, or the absence of strong character. We dismiss these things as old history, as though they have no relevance to his current and future potential or behavior.
We tend to see dangerous characteristics as being 'normal' for men.
Janay was also arrested for "simple assault" on the night of the incident but the charges were later dropped.
Incredibly, Rice was only given a two game ban by the NFL for violating the league's 'personal conduct policy', a decision which was widely condemned.
In comparison, Denver Bronos receiver Wes Welker was banned for four games for allegedly taking amphetamines - which the player claims was from a spiked drink at the Kentucky Derby.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon has been banned for 16 games for a failed marijuana test.
So, smoking pot is eight times worse than punching your fiancée in the face?
The NFL said they had not received the footage from inside the elevator when making their original decision and have now updated their rules on domestic violence - a first-time offender will now be given a six game ban and any subsequent offence will result in a lifetime ban.
Rice had been set to return to the Ravens' starting line-up when they face the Cleveland Browns on 21 September, until the Maryland-based outfit announced the termination of his contract today.
So at least some sanity has prevailed, but only after a lot of public outcry...
More 'spot the psycho' from SOTT.