Ray Rice Talks To The Rookies: Should We Be Cool With This?
According to a report by Jeff Zerbiec of the Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore Ravens had Ray Rice talk to their rookie players. This is one of those situations that is a big deal or a little deal, depending on who you ask. Making the Ravens heroes of the future listen to a fallen hero’s perspective, sounds like a good idea to me.
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If you want to create a firestorm of a conversation, just say Ray Rice. After drunkenly attacking his wife at a casino, Rice went from beloved icon to fire breathing heathen. Rice has not played in the NFL since his stomach sickening incident.
So was it a good idea to have Rice talk to the rookies? Was this another self inflicted gaffe by the Ravens in handling the Ray Rice controversy?
Honestly, this is awesome. Its hard to have a problem with this. I have always believed Rice was a good person who made an awful mistake. This mistake should not define him. Letting him back into the building can be seen as a truly positive thing.
Secondly, Rice learned some tough life lessons. You have to imagine his message to the young players is that you don’t have to learn this stuff the hard way. What is wrong with that? This is a way that Rice can do something positive in the aftermath of his mistake.
Rice was one of the best players in franchise history. His words carry a weight that matters to rookies trying to make it in the NFL. It’s not like Rice is getting another shot with the team. If simply being around the Ravens ruffles our feathers, it’s time to look in the mirror and move forward.
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Nobody at any point will ever condone what Rice did (and nobody ever should). Yet he’s paid for it dearly, and the only reason he is addressing the rookies, is because he’s hit rock bottom. The Ravens are obviously trying to avoid another heartbreaking fall from grace. It’s a big deal that he was in the building, but in a good way.
When someone dies, we remember the good things about them. Rice is still a young man with a life ahead of him and his family. His football career is dead though. Instead of seeing him for his worst moment, take a step back and remember all the good times.
If you’re still upset that he was given the opportunity to speak at the Ravens rookie mini-camp, I don’t know what to tell you. Nothing anybody says, and nothing Rice does will change your position. It’s impossible to forget what Rice did. It may be impossible to forgive him too. What is possible, is moving on. We can be consumed with anger towards Rice until the end of time; we can but we don’t need to be.
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Rice talking to the young players of the Ravens franchise is a good thing. Before Rice’s incident nobody would have imagined what would go on to happen to him. Nobody is invincible, but young athletes don’t know that they’re not. They have a world full of potential. When these rookies hear about a lost career, maybe they’ll internalize how special their opportunity is. Maybe they will avoid the bad decision making that cost Rice everything.