Back in 2014, shocking footage of then-Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his wife, Janay Palmer, was obtained by TMZ.
Though league officials were previously aware that a violent incident involving Rice and Palmer had occurred, the three-time Pro Bowler was initially punished with a modest two-game suspension.
However, when the footage of Rice brutally knocking out his then-fiancee went public, the Ravens terminated his contract, and league commissioner Roger Goodell announced a change in NFL policy with regard to domestic violence charges.
Rice has made efforts to atone for his horrific act, but it seems that the incident may have effectively ended his career.
Now, Rice is making what seems to be a last-ditch effort to get signed by an NFL team in time for the 2016 season.
In an interview with USA Today, the 29-year-old pledged to donate his entire salary to charity if he lands a new contract:
“All the scrutiny that I’ve got, it was deserved, because domestic violence is a horrible thing,” Rice says.
“Me donating my salary is something that’ll be from the heart for me. I only want to play football so I can end it the right way for my kids and for the people that really believed in me.”
He added that the pledge is not being offered as an incentive, but rather as proof to the league and its fans of how much he’s changed:
“I’m not saying I’d be [donating the salary] to get on the field, but it’s something that will show where my heart is. My heart is about finishing the right way and helping people along the way.”
As a seventh-year veteran, Rice’s minimum salary would be $ 885,000.
Having not set foot on an NFL field for the past two seasons, Rice stated in a recent interview that he’s aware of the fact that his window of opportunity for a comeback is closing rapidly.
So this may not be Rice’s attempt to bribe his way back into the league, as some detractors have claimed, but it’s certainly an act of desperation from a man who knows he has few options left.