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Speaker 1: Welcome back to Playing Dirty Sports Scandals. I'm Jay Harris,

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Speaker 1: your host and juicer extraordinary, squeezing all the flavors from

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Speaker 1: sports biggest scandals, from elation to deflation, from failure to redemption,

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Speaker 1: from triumph to tragedy. We don't shy away from tough

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Speaker 1: blens on this podcast. Over the past twenty years of

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Speaker 1: my career as a journalist and sportscaster, I've hosted ESPN

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Speaker 1: show from SportsCenter to Outside the Lines. But on Playing Dirty,

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Speaker 1: I don my apron, roll up my sleeves, dice up

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Speaker 1: behind the scenes sports shenanigans, and blend them all up

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Speaker 1: into some seriously sinister but always succulent stories. I hope

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Speaker 1: you've come thirsty today because today's tail on tap is

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Speaker 1: the Ray Rice scandal, which shook the end NFL to

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Speaker 1: its core and sparked a nationwide conversation about domestic violence, accountability,

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Speaker 1: and redemption. In order to stomach this roller coaster to saga,

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Speaker 1: I recommend you clear your palette now. So let's pour

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Speaker 1: nice big glass of nutritious calming jamujuice chock full of

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Speaker 1: turmeric and ginger. Give it a stir and down the hatch.

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Speaker 2: Woo Now that is.

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Speaker 1: A drink to power up a kickoff, whether it's to

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Speaker 1: send a football flying across the gridiron or kicking off

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Speaker 1: a scandal, or in this case both, Let's get to it.

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Speaker 1: Raymel Maurice Rice's entrance into the world in the midst

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Speaker 1: of a blizzard on January twenty second, nineteen eighty seven,

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Speaker 1: was as dramatic as his future was faded to be.

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Speaker 1: His mother, Janet Rice, barely made it to the hospital

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Speaker 1: in time and recounted the unforgettable experience to ESPN's David Picker,

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Speaker 1: emphasizing Ray's eagerness to join mankind, as evidenced by his

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Speaker 1: constant kicking and six weeks premature birth. Janet affectionately dubbed

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Speaker 1: her newborn son Blizzard Baby, and from that moment forward,

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Speaker 1: his life was indeed a flurry of unrelenting ups and downs.

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Speaker 1: Ray Rice's early years in New Rochelle, New York were

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Speaker 1: a whirled away from the bright lights of the NFL.

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Speaker 1: Despite New Rochelle's reputation for upscale living with its renowned

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Speaker 1: Glen Island Park and enviable proximity to the Big Apple,

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Speaker 1: Like any city, it has its less desirable neighborhoods, and

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Speaker 1: the Rice family's apartment in the section of New Rochelle

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Speaker 1: known as the Hollows was anything but glamorous. His parents,

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Speaker 1: Calvin and Janet, relied on welfare to get by, and

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Speaker 1: material comforts were never a given. There's a quote that

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Speaker 1: no great love ever came without great struggle, and Ray

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Speaker 1: Rice's home life seemed to epitomize this sentiment. Calvin and

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Speaker 1: Janet Rice had busy lives and heavy financial burdens as

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Speaker 1: the patriarch and matriarch of their fledgling homestead, but there

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Speaker 1: was a lot of love within their apartment walls. Sadly,

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Speaker 1: despite the strength of their love for one another, a

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Speaker 1: long shadow was destined to creep over the Rice family.

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Speaker 1: Living in the Hollows project put them at increased risk

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Speaker 1: of violence. Sure, but no one could have anticipated Ray's father,

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Speaker 1: Calvin Reid, being gunned down in a drive by shooting

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Speaker 1: in the summer of nineteen eighty eight. One moment, Calvin

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Speaker 1: was walking home from work and banged. The next moment

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Speaker 1: he'd been hit, Calvin died on the sidewalk. Three years later,

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Speaker 1: when the gunman was convicted and sent to prison, it

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Speaker 1: was revealed that Calvin Reid hadn't even been the target

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Speaker 1: of the shooting. Ray Rice's upstanding, dedicated father had just

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Speaker 1: been in the wrong place at the wrong time, in

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Speaker 1: the way of Calvin's shocking murder. Ray's mother, Janet Rice,

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Speaker 1: declared her young son the man of the house, a

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Speaker 1: role he embraced with a maturity beyond his years as

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Speaker 1: he exited toddlerhood to become a serious, highly motivated child.

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Speaker 1: But no amount of hard work could help Ray outrun

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Speaker 1: the shadow that seemed to always find his family. At

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Speaker 1: three years old, ray Rice experienced yet another brush with

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Speaker 1: death when he attempted to wake his grandfather John up

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Speaker 1: one morning, unsuccessfully. Ray was heartbroken to discover that his

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Speaker 1: grandfather had passed away in his sleep. By the age

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Speaker 1: of seven, ray Rice's losses had already imprinted on him

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Speaker 1: the lesson that life is short and unpredictable, and that

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Speaker 1: you have to work hard to make the most of

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Speaker 1: the time you have. He told the Baltimore Sons Jamison

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Speaker 1: Hensley in two thousand and nine that he began playing

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Speaker 1: running back when he was just seven years old. Even then,

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Speaker 1: Ray had his eye on football as a career, and

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Speaker 1: he was taking it seriously, laying the groundwork for his

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Speaker 1: future success. Yet life in the hollows meant that dreams

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Speaker 1: had to be pursued with practicality, So even as he

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Speaker 1: worked to develop his athletic skills, by eight years old,

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Speaker 1: Ray Rice was also holding down jobs sweeping up hair

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Speaker 1: at a local barbershop and washing dishes at a catering hall.

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Speaker 1: His contributions to the household income demonstrated an early commitment

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Speaker 1: to hard work and sacrifice. Janet Rice remembered one day

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Speaker 1: when her young son came home with one hundred and

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Speaker 1: fifty dollars at the end of a work week. He

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Speaker 1: took the cash out of his pocket and gave it

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Speaker 1: to her to help make ends meet.

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Speaker 2: He was so.

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Speaker 1: Proud, Janet recalled. Ray stepped into some big shoes at

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Speaker 1: a very early age. He was a man before he

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Speaker 1: was a boy. But even though Ray was undeniably mature,

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Speaker 1: he was still a kid searching for role models, and

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Speaker 1: given the loss of his father, for male role models,

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Speaker 1: in particular, he found the surrogate father figure he so

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Speaker 1: desperately craved in mishn Rice Nichols, his older cousin who

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Speaker 1: came to live with them after his own mother passed

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Speaker 1: away from brain cancer. Mishawn was ten years older than

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Speaker 1: Ray and they did everything together, from practicing sports to

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Speaker 1: wrapping in front of the mirror. The two shared an

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Speaker 1: extremely close bond. Mischn was a positive influence on little Ray.

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Speaker 1: He himself was very ambitious and by his late teens

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Speaker 1: was already an up and coming rap artist known as

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Speaker 1: Soup Supe, which stood for spiritually uplifting people everywhere. Michon

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Speaker 1: sang about guiding people in the right direction despite their

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Speaker 1: tough surroundings, and his tunes clearly resonated since he signed

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Speaker 1: his first record deal at age twenty one and moved

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Speaker 1: with his fiancee and two daughters to California to pursue

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Speaker 1: a full time music career. Shortly thereafter. Ray was so

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Speaker 1: proud of Machan and aspired to be like his go

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Speaker 1: getter cousin. He was the one in the family where

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Speaker 1: if he wanted something, he went after it and.

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Speaker 2: He got it. Ray said he was the first.

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Speaker 1: One the family was really proud of. For Ray, Maschawn

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Speaker 1: was living proof that even a kid from the projects

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Speaker 1: could make it. But when Ray was eleven years old,

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Speaker 1: he was destined for yet another tragic loss when his

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Speaker 1: beloved cousin's dreams were snuffed out on the California road

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Speaker 1: on March twenty first, nineteen ninety eight, a driver swerving

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Speaker 1: to avoid another car during the early hours of Saint

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Speaker 1: Patrick's day, plowed into Myschan's compact car. His fiance died

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Speaker 1: on the scene, and Machaon passed away four days later.

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Speaker 1: That was rough, really rough, Ray remembered of that time

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Speaker 1: years later, But I believe today Michan's still here. In

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Speaker 1: honor of Mascham's memory, Ray doubled down on his sports training,

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Speaker 1: becoming even more obsessive about continuing the mission that Maschaan

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Speaker 1: had established to succeed at any cost. As a result

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Speaker 1: of his relentless work ethic, Ray Rice's athletics star was

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Speaker 1: well on the rise as he entered his teams at

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Speaker 1: New Rochelle High School. He excelled as both a point

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Speaker 1: guard on the basketball team and a running back on

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Speaker 1: the football team. By two thousand and three, raised talent

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Speaker 1: on the field alongside future NFL safety Courtney Green, propelled

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Speaker 1: the New Rochelle High School Huguenots to a commanding thirty

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Speaker 1: two to six victory over Webster Schroeder, clinching the Class

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Speaker 1: Double A state championship, a feat the team wouldn't replicate

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Speaker 1: for another nine years. Reflecting on this time in his life,

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Speaker 1: Ray Rice captured the fleeting nature of high school stardom,

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Speaker 1: telling w j Z, you can only be the man

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Speaker 1: for a moment. Over my career in high school, I

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Speaker 1: was the man. As the man at New Rochelle High School,

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Speaker 1: it seemed that Ray Rice would be likely to have

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Speaker 1: his woman, and.

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Speaker 2: So he did.

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Speaker 1: When he was just fifteen years old, Ray met fourteen

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Speaker 1: year old a Palmer, and just like that, their two

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Speaker 1: lives became deeply intertwined. Unlike Ray, Janey came from a stable,

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Speaker 1: two parent household in the neighboring town of Mount Vernon.

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Speaker 1: When asked years later about their early courtship, Janey observed,

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Speaker 1: I did come from a two parent household, which I

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Speaker 1: know drew him, highlighting how her family's stability was a

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Speaker 1: beacon for Ray. He even called Janey's father Dad eventually,

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Speaker 1: and seemed to relish being included in a financially and

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Speaker 1: emotionally stable family unit. Janay and her family, along with

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Speaker 1: Ray's mom Janet, provided the unwavering support Ray needed to

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Speaker 1: reach his full career potential, which was not necessarily a

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Speaker 1: given despite his exceptional talent and work ethic. You see,

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Speaker 1: Ray Rice had one major shortcoming for an aspiring NFL player.

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Speaker 1: He was just five foot eight inches tall. To put

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Speaker 1: this obstacle into context, the average height of an NFL

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Speaker 1: player is a little over six ' to two. But

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Speaker 1: Janey believed in him. Janey's family believed in him, and

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Speaker 1: his mother believed in him. So Ray gave one hundred

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Speaker 1: and ten percent to his football dream, knowing that it

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Speaker 1: was his only surefire ticket out of the hollow projects

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Speaker 1: and into a lifetime of being able to provide for

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Speaker 1: his struggling mother and extended family. Imagine Ray's relief when

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Speaker 1: all his hard work paid off and Rutgers University offered

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Speaker 1: him a spot. This was Ray's chance to prove the

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Speaker 1: naysayers wrong about his height challenge and shine on the gridiron.

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Speaker 1: His ambition was clear from the start, and he aimed

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Speaker 1: to become synonymous with Rutgers football and serve as the

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Speaker 1: key to turning around the university's mostly losing program. My

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Speaker 1: goal when I went there was for people to say

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Speaker 1: Ray Rice and Rutgers football in one sentence he shared

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Speaker 1: with New York mag dot com years later. Playing for

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Speaker 1: Rutgers University from two thousand and five to two thousand

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Speaker 1: and seven, ray Rice quickly became the Scarlet Knight's premier

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Speaker 1: running back Under coach Greg Schiano. His time at Rutgers

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Speaker 1: was transformative for him and for the university's football program,

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Speaker 1: marking a resurgence in its competitive performance. Despite his size,

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Speaker 1: ray Rice's performance on the field was colossal. His freshman

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Speaker 1: year saw him a mass over one thousand rushing yards,

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Speaker 1: hinting at the meteoric rise.

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Speaker 2: That would follow.

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Speaker 1: Ray Rice's sophomore year was even more spectacular, with seventeen

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Speaker 1: hundred and ninety four rushing yards and twenty touchdowns, placing

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Speaker 1: him as a finalist for the Maxwell Award and seventh

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Speaker 1: in Heisman Trophy voting. His efforts led Rutgers to an

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Speaker 1: historic season, culminating in a victory in the two thousand

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Speaker 1: and six Texas Bowl, the program's first bowl win, where

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Speaker 1: ray Rice was rightfully named MVP. Choosing to stay on

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Speaker 1: with Rutgers for his junior year, ray Rice exceeded expectations

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Speaker 1: once again, amassing two thy twelve rushing yards and twenty

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Speaker 1: four touchdowns, and his record setting performance against the ball

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Speaker 1: State Cardinals with two hundred and eighty rushing yards in

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Speaker 1: a single game is still legendary. After such an illustrious

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Speaker 1: college performance, no one was surprised when ray Rice decided

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Speaker 1: to make the leap to the NFL, leaving behind a

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Speaker 1: legacy at Rutgers marked by numerous records and a stand

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Speaker 1: up character. The Baltimore Ravens selected ray Rice in the

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Speaker 1: second round of the two thousand and eight NFL Draft

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Speaker 1: as the fifty fifth overall pick. Greg Schiano, his coach

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Speaker 1: at Rutgers, proudly predicted a bright future for the star player,

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Speaker 1: stating the Baltimore Ravens are getting a tremendous player and

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Speaker 1: person in Ray Rice. Meanwhile, ray Rice was embodying his

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Speaker 1: late cousin Mai Shawn's legacy of achieving his dreams through

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Speaker 1: hard work. He signed a four year, two point eight

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Speaker 1: million dollar rookie contract, fulfilling the heartfelt promise he'd made

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Speaker 1: to his mother, Janet to be a provider. Ray purchased

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Speaker 1: a new apartment for his mother on law with two

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Speaker 1: cars in Accura and Alexis. Words cannot even explain what

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Speaker 1: I feel on the inside. Janet said about her beloved son,

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Speaker 1: who would beat all the odds to realize success at

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Speaker 1: the highest level. It's just joy, Joy, It's all I

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Speaker 1: can say. Janet's joy was compounded watching her son slay

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Speaker 1: his NFL debut season in two thousand and eight, ray

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Speaker 1: accumulated eight hundred and nineteen all purpose yards, contributing significantly

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Speaker 1: to the Ravens eleven win season under the leadership of

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Speaker 1: first year head coach Jim Harbaugh and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.

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Speaker 1: Despite a disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the

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Speaker 1: AFC Championship Game, ray Rice's potential was undeniable. In two

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Speaker 1: thousand and nine, assuming the role of the Ravens starting

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Speaker 1: running back, his career surged forward, marking the beginning of

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Speaker 1: four consecutive one thousand yard rushing seasons and establishing him

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Speaker 1: as a formidable force on the field. Twenty two years old,

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Speaker 1: ray Rice had become a household name. Between two thousand

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Speaker 1: and nine and twenty twelve, Ray's winning streak continued. His

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Speaker 1: skill set extended beyond his rushing abilities. He became a

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Speaker 1: reliable pass catching threat, accumulating a combined twenty four hundred

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Speaker 1: and forty receiving yards, absolutely amazing. His peak performance earned

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Speaker 1: him three Pro Bowl selections and two second team All

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Speaker 1: Pro honors, culminating in a Super Bowl victory in twenty

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Speaker 1: thirteen when the Ravens won over the San Francisco forty

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Speaker 1: nine Ers. Everything he has set out his goals, he

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Speaker 1: has accomplished, his proud mother Janet told ESPN, and now

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Speaker 1: making it to the Super Bowl is an even bigger accomplishment.

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Speaker 1: He said he wouldn't go to the Super Bowl unless

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Speaker 1: he was playing in one. He's having the time of

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Speaker 1: his life. It's a real exciting time for both of us.

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Speaker 1: And it was such an exciting time. But great accomplishment

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Speaker 1: almost it always comes with great pressure, and ray Rice's

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Speaker 1: personal responsibilities hadn't diminished with his increased professional demands. Off

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Speaker 1: the field, he was still working hard, hosting annual spring

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Speaker 1: football clinics for children in New Rochelle and supporting his

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Speaker 1: high school team with equipment donations. Ray Rice was burning

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Speaker 1: the candle at both ends, so to speak, and the

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Speaker 1: pressure he was under may well have felt overbearing. With

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Speaker 1: the birth of his and Janney's daughter, Raven in twenty twelve,

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Speaker 1: named in homage to both himself and the Baltimore Ravens.

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Speaker 1: Raven Rice's entrance into the world overwhelmed Ray, who later

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Speaker 1: admitted that his early commitment as an involved husband and

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Speaker 1: father was somewhat lacking. Meanwhile, twenty six year old Janet

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Speaker 1: found herself largely alone parenting a newborn baby, and was

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Speaker 1: understandably frustrated. Tension was growing between Ray and Janey, who

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Speaker 1: at this point had already shared more than a decade together.

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Speaker 1: On Valentine's Day twenty fourteen, the tension finally boiled over. Janet,

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Speaker 1: envisioning a night off from lone childcare responsibilities and a

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Speaker 1: romantic one on one celebration, found her hopes dashed when

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Speaker 1: Ray instead opted for a group outing in Atlantic City.

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Speaker 1: This decision, made unilaterally by Ray, left Janet feeling sidelined

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Speaker 1: yet again. Two young parents were at odds and simmering

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Speaker 1: with upset. On their journey to the Revel Casino's Royal

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Speaker 1: Jelly Club. Things went from bad to worse once they arrived, Ray,

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Speaker 1: who had been abstaining from alcohol leading up to the outing,

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Speaker 1: decided to break his dry spell and indulge heavily. His

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Speaker 1: drinking led to an early exit from the casino and

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Speaker 1: over to the Revel casino's restaurant, where a massive fight

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Speaker 1: ensued between Ray and Janet. Fueled by alcohol, exhaustion, and resentment,

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Speaker 1: the couple's quarrel escalated from exchanging heated works words to

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Speaker 1: physical blows. The altercation reached its climax in an elevator,

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Speaker 1: where it seems both Ray and Janet believed they could

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Speaker 1: battle in privacy, but of course casinos have cameras everywhere,

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Speaker 1: and the elevator camera captured everything that went down in

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Speaker 1: horrifying detail. Janet slapped and spat it Ray, and Ray

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Speaker 1: retaliated with a forceful strike on Jane. Janey collapsed unconscious

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Speaker 1: against the railing inside the elevator. Instead of her collapse

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Speaker 1: sparking immediate remorse and concern, Ray Rice dragged Janey, the

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Speaker 1: mother of his daughter, out of the elevator like a

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Speaker 1: bag of laundry. Atlantic City police responded to the scene,

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Speaker 1: where both Ray Rice and Janey Palmer refused medical treatment

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Speaker 1: and were arrested on charges of simple assault. This scenario

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Speaker 1: was what is sometimes known as mutual combat, though how

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Speaker 1: a fight between an an elite NFL player like Ray Rice,

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Speaker 1: who has been professionally trained to sustain monster hits from

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Speaker 1: very large humans, and a petit woman could be written

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Speaker 1: off as mutual combat is questionable. It certainly wasn't as

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Speaker 1: if a UFC fight between contenders in the same weight

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Speaker 1: class had just taken place. Still, the Atlantic City police

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Speaker 1: reports indicated that both Ray and Janet had struck each

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Speaker 1: other with their hands during an altercation inside the elevator.

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Speaker 1: Apparently one or both of them admitted as much to police,

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Speaker 1: corroborating the casino's footage. Now, Ray Rice was a very

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Speaker 1: well known public figure in the Northeast, so this harrowing

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00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:43,040
Speaker 1: incident was going to be anything but quiet. The case

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00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,159
Speaker 1: leaked into the public consciousness within twenty four hours, and

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Speaker 1: on February fifteenth, twenty fourteen, news emerged of Ray Rice's

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Speaker 1: and Janet Palmer's arrest. Initially described by Ray's attorney as

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Speaker 1: a minor physical altercation, the narrative began to shift dramatic

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Speaker 1: with the release of the revel casino's video footage by

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Speaker 1: TMZ on February nineteenth, which showed Ray dragging Janet's limp

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Speaker 1: body from the elevator. This shocking footage contradicted the initial

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Speaker 1: minimization of the incident and prompted police to disclose that

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Speaker 1: they also had video evidence from inside the elevator showing

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Speaker 1: Ray knocking Janey unconscious before dragging her out into the hallway.

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Speaker 1: It's impossible to minimize Ray's choice to drag petite Janey

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Speaker 1: along the floor. Yes, he was intoxicated, but we're talking

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Speaker 1: about a strong professional athlete. He couldn't pick her up

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Speaker 1: and carry her out of the elevator to get medical attention,

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Speaker 1: as not forget that this is the mother of his child.

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Speaker 1: The callous coolness of Ray's actions seemed to speak volumes

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Speaker 1: to the public about his inner character, and it wasn't good.

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Speaker 1: In the days following the incident, Baltimore Ravens and the

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Speaker 1: NFL found themselves grappling with the implications of Ray's altercation

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Speaker 1: with Jenne. Raven's head coach Sean Harvaugh relayed to the

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Speaker 1: press that the two people obviously have a couple of

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Speaker 1: issues that they have to work through, and they're both

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Speaker 1: committed to doing that. Raven's general manager Ozzie Newsom added

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Speaker 1: that their organization needed to review the whole video before

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Speaker 1: reaching any conclusions. The upsetting thing about these reactions is

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Speaker 1: that they come shockingly close to absolving Ray of violence

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Speaker 1: towards Janet simply because she too was physical with him.

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Speaker 1: But it is important to remember that there is no

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Speaker 1: fair play in what transpired on Valentine's Stage twenty fourteen

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Speaker 1: at the Revel Casino. Janet's petite and untrained, whereas ray

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Speaker 1: Rice is a two hundred and six pound machine like athlete.

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Speaker 1: Given his training and profession, there is no excuse for

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Speaker 1: him to instruct Jane. There was no circumstance under which

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Speaker 1: his response to her should have turned physical. Significantly. The

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Speaker 1: footage from inside the elevator at the Revel Casino had

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Speaker 1: not yet been released at this point, but TMZ sharing

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Speaker 1: of the dragging video outside the elevator escalated the situation,

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Speaker 1: with legal proceedings against Ray Rice snowballing and his charges

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Speaker 1: becoming upgraded to third degree aggravated assault. Even with the

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Speaker 1: upgraded charges looming, the Ravens organization continued to express support

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Speaker 1: for Ray, underscoring his character and contributions to their community.

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Speaker 1: Ravens owner Steve Buscotti, speaking on March twenty four, twenty fourteen,

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00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:31,760
Speaker 1: affirmed Rice's place on the team, highlighting his previous record

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Speaker 1: of good behavior and community service. Ray's just been lauded.

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Speaker 1: This the nicest, hardest working, greatest guy on the team

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Speaker 1: and in the community. BUSCOTTI said, so we have to

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Speaker 1: support him. I think we'll be rewarded by him maturing

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Speaker 1: and never putting himself in a situation like this. Again,

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Speaker 1: I've been on record of saying my definition of character

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Speaker 1: is repeating offenses. If we're all one striking, you're out,

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Speaker 1: then we're all in trouble. It's how you respond to adversity. Meanwhile,

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Speaker 1: Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, coolly acknowledged the league's awareness

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Speaker 1: of the incident and the ongoing evaluation of appropriate disciplinary actions.

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Speaker 2: Hmm hmm.

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Speaker 1: Do you hear that it's not a ginger lemon water

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00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:24,600
Speaker 1: brew coming to a boil. That's the sound of the

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00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,520
Speaker 1: public bubbling over with anger. As the ray Rice scandal unfolded,

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00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,359
Speaker 1: people were becoming increasingly outraged as it appeared that yet

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Speaker 1: another athlete would escape professional accountability for domestic violence. After all,

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Speaker 1: ray Rice's violent attack was just the most prominent case

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Speaker 1: in a continuing litany of domestic abuse incidents for the NFL.

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Speaker 1: According to a study by USA Today, eighty five of

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Speaker 1: the seven hundred and thirteen arrests of NFL players between

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00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:59,760
Speaker 1: two thousand and twenty fourteen were for domestic abuse. Understand

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Speaker 1: the believe many were fed up with the NFL's seemingly

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Speaker 1: lackadaisical attitude toward their player's violent assaults off the field.

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00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:12,439
Speaker 1: Among other reporters, Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post summed

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Speaker 1: up her disgust, writing that the effeckless enabling see no

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Speaker 1: evil National Football League and the effeckless enabling see no

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Speaker 1: evil Ravens management preferred not to ponder what it takes

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Speaker 1: to knock out a human being quote unquote. Amidst the

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Speaker 1: public outcry and in the immediate aftermath of Ray's indictment

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Speaker 1: for third degree aggravated assault, Ray Rice and Jenet Palmer

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00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:41,640
Speaker 1: made the unexpected decision to expedite their wedding, which had

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Speaker 1: originally been planned for that summer, to the very next day.

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00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,479
Speaker 1: Allegedly it was rushed to help their legal case relating

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Speaker 1: to the assault. Nonetheless, this turn of events within weeks

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00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:56,000
Speaker 1: of raised assault charge was surprising. The Baltimore Sun reporting

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Speaker 1: that their wedding ceremony was a gathering point for support

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Speaker 1: from the Ravens community and friends within the NFL wide receiver.

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Speaker 1: Tory Smith, among those in attendance, voiced his unwavering support

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Speaker 1: for both ray and Janey, describing them as family to

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Speaker 1: him and his wife, Chanelle Williams. I went by after

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00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,040
Speaker 1: everything happened and checked up on them, and they're happy.

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Speaker 1: They're growing, Tory Smith related, they're trying to better themselves

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00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,960
Speaker 1: from it. Tory's remarks highlighted a sentiment of optimism and

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Speaker 1: resilience amid controversy. Ray Rice's and Jenney Palmer's wedding, detailed

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00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,439
Speaker 1: by The Daily Mail, was not short on NFL's star power,

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Speaker 1: with guests including then Philadelphia Eagles player Carrie Williams, then

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Speaker 1: Buffalo Bill's player Corey Graham, and the Baltimore Ravens own

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Speaker 1: Josh Binds and Tory Smith. The atmosphere of unity and

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Speaker 1: support was palpable, as captured in social media posts from

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Speaker 1: the day. Wedding day flow as my Boy ray Rice

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00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:56,800
Speaker 1: and Jeanne united marriage, Josh Binds shared celebrating the couple's union.

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00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,439
Speaker 1: But despite the pomp, ray Rice's marriage Ridge to the

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00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,679
Speaker 1: woman he had pummeled just weeks earlier landed like a

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00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,720
Speaker 1: lead balloon with the public who were furious at the

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00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,879
Speaker 1: celebration of a man who beat a woman unconscious. And

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00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,520
Speaker 1: ray didn't just have a pr problem. The cogs of

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00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,399
Speaker 1: the legal system had continued to turn, and he had

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00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,760
Speaker 1: made the risky decision to go his own way with

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Speaker 1: his defense. On May one, twenty fourteen, ray Reich decided

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Speaker 1: to reject a plea deal that would have had him

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00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:32,320
Speaker 1: avoiding jail time by attending probation and anger management. Why

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00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,119
Speaker 1: would he do that, you ask? After all, it sounds

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00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:37,080
Speaker 1: like a slap on the wrist deal that any domestic

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00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:40,600
Speaker 1: violent offender would jump to secure. But ray Rice instead

400
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,200
Speaker 1: entered a plea of not guilty and requested acceptance into

401
00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:48,040
Speaker 1: a pre trial intervention program designed for first time offenders.

402
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,440
Speaker 1: So what was his rationale? While the first defender program

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00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:56,440
Speaker 1: is specifically designed to allow someone a second chance assuming

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00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,200
Speaker 1: they complete some sort of community service or pay a fine,

405
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,040
Speaker 1: and I have their probationary time with good behavior meaning

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00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:06,600
Speaker 1: no more run ends with the law, the real allure

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00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,639
Speaker 1: of this program is that if someone successfully completes the

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00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,600
Speaker 1: first time offender program, their record is wiped clean, as

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00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,280
Speaker 1: if the crime the committed never happened. So Ray Rice

410
00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:19,280
Speaker 1: was making a case for his chance to have a

411
00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:23,560
Speaker 1: clean slate, But it was an incredibly tricky legal strategy

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00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:27,120
Speaker 1: to pursue because the first offender program is typically not

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00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,240
Speaker 1: offered in domestic violence cases. According to a report from

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00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,439
Speaker 1: Outside the Lines in New Jersey, where Ray's violent assault

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00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,560
Speaker 1: had taken place, the first offender program is offered in

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00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:42,880
Speaker 1: less than one percent of domestic violence cases. Given that statistic,

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00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,679
Speaker 1: Ray still turned down his plea deal for an incredible

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00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:50,520
Speaker 1: long shot on the first time offender program option. In

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00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:53,840
Speaker 1: an effort to sway public opinion and support raised chances

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00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,040
Speaker 1: of realizing his improbable but ideal legal outcome. A press

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00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,320
Speaker 1: conference was orchestrated by the Baltimore Ravens on May twenty third,

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00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:05,320
Speaker 1: twenty fourteen. Both Ray and Janet addressed the media together,

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00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:09,920
Speaker 1: presenting a united front. Ray Rice apologized for the incident

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00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,480
Speaker 1: at the Revel Casino, while Janey Rice, in a move

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00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,720
Speaker 1: that sparked widespread controversy, also apologized for her role in

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00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,280
Speaker 1: the situation. The Ravens handling of the press conference, and

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00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:24,399
Speaker 1: particularly their decision to share Janey Rice's apology on social media,

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00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:29,080
Speaker 1: was met with some backlash from the public, THESAKA continued

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00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:33,240
Speaker 1: to unfold quickly and dramatically. Just weeks later, on June sixteenth,

430
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,280
Speaker 1: ray Rice, with Janet by his side, once again sat

431
00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:41,320
Speaker 1: down with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsom, Baltimore,

432
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 1: Ravens Team president Dick cass and NFL big wigs Jeff

433
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,679
Speaker 1: Pash and ADOLPHEO Birch to determine what punishment the NFL

434
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,800
Speaker 1: would dish out. The reports that came from this meeting

435
00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:55,600
Speaker 1: painted a complex picture, with Sports Illustrated's writer Peter King

436
00:27:55,720 --> 00:28:00,119
Speaker 1: detailing Janey Rice's emotional appeal to Roger Goodell for leniency.

437
00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,919
Speaker 1: According to Peter King, Janay assured Roger Goodell that the

438
00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 1: incident in the elevator at Revel Casino was a one

439
00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:10,919
Speaker 1: time event, that nothing physical had happened in their relationship

440
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:14,240
Speaker 1: before or since, and that it would only ruin Ray

441
00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:18,240
Speaker 1: Rice's image and career to hit him with heavy NFL sanctions.

442
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,480
Speaker 1: There's little doubt that Janey Palmer's emotional plea carried a

443
00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,400
Speaker 1: great deal of weight with Roger Goodell, but many who

444
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,720
Speaker 1: routinely work with people in the cycle of domestic violence

445
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:33,720
Speaker 1: were gobs specked that Janey had even been in the

446
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:37,399
Speaker 1: meeting with the NFL executives. Having Janet and Ray in

447
00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,880
Speaker 1: the room and thinking that she can speak freely in

448
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,960
Speaker 1: that kind of a situation is crazy. Renee Rennick of

449
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,800
Speaker 1: the National Network to End Domestic Violence reflected, there is

450
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,680
Speaker 1: no way she can speak freely in that situation, And

451
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,680
Speaker 1: if there was any chance that she was afraid or coersed,

452
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:53,959
Speaker 1: she couldn't have said that.

453
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:55,200
Speaker 2: She would have been.

454
00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:59,240
Speaker 1: Probably in a whole lot of danger. Renee Rennick's point

455
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,760
Speaker 1: is a valid one for all of Janet's please on

456
00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,959
Speaker 1: behalf of ray The NFL should not have discounted the

457
00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:09,160
Speaker 1: dynamics of domestic violence in determining a punishment. If anything,

458
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,520
Speaker 1: they should have listened more closely to what ray Rice

459
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:17,400
Speaker 1: himself actually disclosed, because as the scandal continued to unfold,

460
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,880
Speaker 1: conflicting accounts of what went down at this disciplinary meeting

461
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,720
Speaker 1: with ray Rice emerged. According to ray Rice himself and

462
00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:28,120
Speaker 1: ESPN's outside the lines, Ray's disclosure was honest.

463
00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:30,320
Speaker 2: I told the commissioner that I hit her.

464
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,120
Speaker 1: She hit her head on the railing, Ray relayed several

465
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:37,479
Speaker 1: months later, under oath. Meanwhile, Commissioner Roger Goodell would remember

466
00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:41,000
Speaker 1: Ray's account in this meeting as ambiguous, claiming that Ray

467
00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:45,920
Speaker 1: had minimized the impact of the physical contact. Specifically, Roger

468
00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,920
Speaker 1: Goodell would later insist that Ray implied that it was

469
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:52,160
Speaker 1: not the blow that did any damage, it was actually

470
00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:56,440
Speaker 1: the fact that she fell and knocked herself out. Regardless

471
00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,680
Speaker 1: of Ray and Roger ultimately butting heads about what was

472
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,520
Speaker 1: said on July sixteenth, the initial outcome was that, on

473
00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,920
Speaker 1: July twenty fourth, the NFL handed down a mere two

474
00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:11,120
Speaker 1: game suspension to Ray Rise's punishment. This decision was met

475
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:15,160
Speaker 1: with widespread public criticism for its leniency. Despite the Ravens'

476
00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:19,720
Speaker 1: best attempts to explain the NFL's decision, John Harbaugh, the

477
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:24,200
Speaker 1: Ravens head coach, communicated the organization's stance to the medium, stating,

478
00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:25,920
Speaker 1: I stand behind Ray.

479
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,760
Speaker 2: He's a heck of a guy. He's done everything right.

480
00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,520
Speaker 1: Since he makes a mistake, he's going to have to

481
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:35,240
Speaker 1: pay a consequence. But was a two game suspension really

482
00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:40,280
Speaker 1: the appropriate consequence for striking Janet unconscious? Many took issue

483
00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: with the NFL's internal ruling because it definitely raised the

484
00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,600
Speaker 1: ugly specter of athletes being given special treatment when it

485
00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:51,400
Speaker 1: came to facing the consequences of their actions. At a

486
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:53,760
Speaker 1: news conference on the heels of the NFL's two game

487
00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:58,480
Speaker 1: suspension announcement, Ray insisted to reporters that the violent incident

488
00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:02,000
Speaker 1: was not representative of who he was. You know, that's

489
00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,680
Speaker 1: not me, he said. You know, what happened is something

490
00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,680
Speaker 1: I have to live with for the rest of my life.

491
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:10,760
Speaker 1: Little did Ray know how true his words would be.

492
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:14,880
Speaker 1: On September eighth, the scandal that Ray Rice had believed

493
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:18,000
Speaker 1: to be moving into his rear view mirror was suddenly

494
00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:21,800
Speaker 1: reignited when TMZ released what is now the infamous video

495
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:26,320
Speaker 1: of Ray hitting Janey inside the elevator at the Rebel Casino.

496
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:29,520
Speaker 1: We've all heard the saying a picture is worth a

497
00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,160
Speaker 1: thousand words when it comes to conveying the truth, and

498
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:37,000
Speaker 1: as the Ray Rice scandal proves, that is absolutely the case.

499
00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:41,920
Speaker 1: Because when TMZ finally showed people what had happened inside

500
00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:45,560
Speaker 1: the elevator before Ray dragged Janey out of the machine

501
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:51,480
Speaker 1: into the hallway, the public horror was palpable. Ray Rice

502
00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,520
Speaker 1: had slugged Janey with a knockout blow and she dropped

503
00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:59,080
Speaker 1: like a felled tree. It was unbearable to watch, and

504
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:04,160
Speaker 1: it changed. No organization could stand behind the man captured

505
00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:10,720
Speaker 1: in that video footage. The Baltimore Ravens swiftly terminated Ray

506
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:15,880
Speaker 1: Rice's contract and the NFL suspended him indefinitely. Head coach

507
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,720
Speaker 1: John Harbaugh was quick to state that the team had

508
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:22,520
Speaker 1: not seen the full elevator footage until its public release,

509
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,640
Speaker 1: emphasizing that as soon as they had seen it, they'd

510
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:30,000
Speaker 1: acted immediately. The video is something we saw for the

511
00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:34,360
Speaker 1: first time today all of us, emphasized Harbaugh, who added

512
00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:37,360
Speaker 1: that the video had not been made previously available to

513
00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:41,600
Speaker 1: the team. It changed things, of course, It made things

514
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:46,280
Speaker 1: a little bit different for ray It made things a

515
00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:47,040
Speaker 1: lot different.

516
00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:49,320
Speaker 2: The public consensus was.

517
00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:53,160
Speaker 1: Clear Ray Rice's career in the NFL should be over,

518
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:58,480
Speaker 1: with insiders convinced that the leaked footage had irrevocably tarnished

519
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:02,560
Speaker 1: his prospects of returning to the field. Nike severed its

520
00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:07,400
Speaker 1: endorsement deal with Ray Ray's likeness was removed from Madden

521
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,560
Speaker 1: NFL fifteen in EA sports attempt to disassociate their brand

522
00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:16,040
Speaker 1: from the embattled athlete. Verdemax, a company known for performance

523
00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:19,880
Speaker 1: equipment pulled out of their philanthropic Ray of Hope collaboration

524
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:23,480
Speaker 1: with Ray to provide a sports training system to Nazareth

525
00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:28,000
Speaker 1: Area High School. The National Congress of Black Women CEOs

526
00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:32,480
Speaker 1: labeled Ray as the poster boy for domestic violence, underscoring

527
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:37,240
Speaker 1: the severity of his actions. Prominent columnist Mike Lupica starkly

528
00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:42,320
Speaker 1: referred to him as an unemployed wifebeater, encapsulating the downfall

529
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:46,560
Speaker 1: of his previously positive public image. The scandal even reached

530
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:50,920
Speaker 1: the highest levels of government, with President Obama himself stating

531
00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:54,040
Speaker 1: that hitting a woman is not something a real man

532
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:58,400
Speaker 1: does suddenly, in spite of everyone assuming he'd hit Janney

533
00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:02,720
Speaker 1: in the elevator before, video footage of the actual blow

534
00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:07,680
Speaker 1: had resulted in everyone condemning Ray unreservedly and making him

535
00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:11,160
Speaker 1: the touch point for domestic violence discussion across the nation.

536
00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,360
Speaker 1: The light in the darkness for Ray at this terrible

537
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:18,600
Speaker 1: time was that his criminal charges were dropped in exchange

538
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:22,960
Speaker 1: for court supervised counseling. Between this positive shift in his

539
00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:26,279
Speaker 1: legal circumstance and the fact that the only dream he'd

540
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,880
Speaker 1: ever had was on the line, Ray Rice decided to

541
00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:32,960
Speaker 1: fight to get his former life back in November twenty

542
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:38,600
Speaker 1: fourteen by appealing the NFL's indefinite suspension. This new hearing

543
00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,879
Speaker 1: favored Ray's interpretation of the initial NFL disciplinary hearing back

544
00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:47,160
Speaker 1: in July twenty fourteen, rather than Roger Goodell's account. This

545
00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:50,239
Speaker 1: led to ray Rice's reinstatement in the league, since his

546
00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:55,040
Speaker 1: original two game suspension had been completed. Through Ray's appeal,

547
00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:59,040
Speaker 1: The NFL was also reminded that labor law principles don't

548
00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:03,279
Speaker 1: allow a second punishment for the same conduct. They technically

549
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:07,440
Speaker 1: couldn't give him an indefinite suspension for domestic abuse after

550
00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:11,040
Speaker 1: initially giving him a two game suspension, But what the

551
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:15,600
Speaker 1: NFL could do and did, was sideline ray Rice within

552
00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:20,759
Speaker 1: their organization. A year on from the tumult that reshaped

553
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:24,319
Speaker 1: his life and career, ray Rice found himself still in

554
00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:27,920
Speaker 1: a period of enforced hiatus from within the NFL, akin

555
00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:32,960
Speaker 1: to an injury season. Despite the NFL landscape's historic willingness

556
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:36,879
Speaker 1: to reintegrate players who had faced domestic abuse accusations such

557
00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:41,400
Speaker 1: as Greg Hardy, ray Rice remained unsigned. Did the NFL

558
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:44,680
Speaker 1: ultimately dish out greater discipline and Ray's case because of

559
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,439
Speaker 1: the widely circulated elevator footage visual which made it much

560
00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:52,400
Speaker 1: more difficult for the public to forget. Was it because

561
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,000
Speaker 1: Ray's account of what went on in his first NFL

562
00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:58,480
Speaker 1: disciplinary hearing had differed from that of Commissioner Roger Goodell's

563
00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:02,359
Speaker 1: version and upset the illustration. Or was it because by

564
00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:05,880
Speaker 1: this time, Ray was viewed as an aging player in

565
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:10,000
Speaker 1: a position that's often seen as replaceable. Whatever the reason,

566
00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:13,360
Speaker 1: Ray Rice spent the final days of his NFL career

567
00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:19,399
Speaker 1: benched while his career on the gridiron stagnated. Ray also

568
00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:23,520
Speaker 1: had to undergo counseling. Per his agreement with New Jersey's prosecutors,

569
00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:27,040
Speaker 1: Ray publicized his personal work with doctor.

570
00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:28,879
Speaker 2: Paul Ball in a strategic.

571
00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:31,920
Speaker 1: Move to reconstruct his image from pariah to a man

572
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:36,080
Speaker 1: earnestly striving for redemption. Nobody ever had courage enough to

573
00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:38,359
Speaker 1: try to give me the tools of life, Ray Rice

574
00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:41,719
Speaker 1: shared in therapy, recounting his childhood with the burdens of

575
00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:43,920
Speaker 1: adulthood were prematurely.

576
00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:44,120
Speaker 2: Thrust upon him.

577
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,000
Speaker 1: I was told since high school that I'd be in

578
00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,480
Speaker 1: the NFL. Once my football playing started taking off and

579
00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:54,040
Speaker 1: I started scoring all those touchdowns, I was the golden child.

580
00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:58,000
Speaker 1: The takeaway was that Ray believed people cared about football,

581
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:02,400
Speaker 1: not about him. He said he'd suppressed his unhappy past,

582
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:06,480
Speaker 1: but was now learning to love himself. It's unfortunate that

583
00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:10,240
Speaker 1: it took this situation for me to face myself, Ray said.

584
00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:14,919
Speaker 1: The unraveling of his dream career impacted not just Ray

585
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:19,440
Speaker 1: but his entire family. The financial repercussions of his behavior

586
00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:23,600
Speaker 1: at the Revel Casino were significant. In March twenty fifteen,

587
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,960
Speaker 1: ray Rice settled with the Baltimore Ravens for one point

588
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,000
Speaker 1: five million, a mere fraction of the three point eight

589
00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:33,000
Speaker 1: million he sought to recover from his contract, as reported

590
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,759
Speaker 1: by The Baltimore Sun via ESPN, and despite rumors of

591
00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:40,120
Speaker 1: interest from teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ray's bold

592
00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:44,320
Speaker 1: offer to donate his entire salary to domestic violence charities,

593
00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:49,600
Speaker 1: an NFL comeback wasn't in the cards. Faced with this reality,

594
00:37:50,239 --> 00:37:53,560
Speaker 1: ray Rice had to shift his career focus. He decided

595
00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:58,160
Speaker 1: to redirect his energy towards education and community work. Today,

596
00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:01,960
Speaker 1: ray Rice works with football teams, spread domestic violence awareness,

597
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:06,680
Speaker 1: and is associated with organizations like the Childhood Domestic Violence Association.

598
00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:10,719
Speaker 1: He acknowledges that he had underlying issues that he tried

599
00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:15,000
Speaker 1: to treat with football instead of seeking professional help. His

600
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:17,799
Speaker 1: goal with his second career is to encourage others in

601
00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:21,960
Speaker 1: the NFL to understand that they can and should seek

602
00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,319
Speaker 1: help beyond the tough guy gridiron. I know that my

603
00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:27,960
Speaker 1: peers in the NFL need peers that have been through

604
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:30,600
Speaker 1: things and know how to see and present what the

605
00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:33,960
Speaker 1: other side looks like. Ray explained the CBS News. I

606
00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:38,480
Speaker 1: try to share things and make my experience relatable. In

607
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,360
Speaker 1: December twenty twenty three, nine years after Ray Rice's fateful

608
00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:46,040
Speaker 1: violent assault on Janet, the Baltimore Ravens made a decision

609
00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:49,640
Speaker 1: that stirred the sports community once again by celebrating Ray

610
00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,080
Speaker 1: Rice as a legend of the game during their Week

611
00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:56,600
Speaker 1: seventeen matchup against the Miami Dolphins. This recognition was not

612
00:38:56,680 --> 00:39:00,000
Speaker 1: just about recalling Ray's on field prowess. It was all

613
00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:05,520
Speaker 1: about acknowledging his efforts to redeem himself. The Ravens team

614
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,880
Speaker 1: president Sashi Brown commended ray Rice for his significant contributions

615
00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:14,120
Speaker 1: both on and off the gridiron, acknowledging his exemplary role

616
00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:17,799
Speaker 1: as a teammate as well as his remarkable on field achievements.

617
00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:21,360
Speaker 1: But Sashi Brown emphasized that it was Ray Rice's dedicated

618
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:24,880
Speaker 1: efforts to help others following his own twenty fourteen domestic

619
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:29,080
Speaker 1: abuse incident that really cinched him as a legend. He

620
00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:32,880
Speaker 1: highlighted Ray's passion from motivational speaking at colleges and with

621
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:37,000
Speaker 1: professional teams, as well as Ray's philanthropic work through his

622
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:42,720
Speaker 1: nonprofit Pipeline to Prosperity. This initiative, aimed at supporting underprivileged

623
00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:47,040
Speaker 1: youth in Baltimore and New Rochelle, reflects Ray Rice's continued

624
00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:51,640
Speaker 1: commitment to giving back. Sashi Brown concluded that importantly, after

625
00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:55,399
Speaker 1: Ray's incident, he owned it on his own accord. Ray

626
00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:58,520
Speaker 1: undertook critical work within himself and to bring awareness to

627
00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:02,759
Speaker 1: and educate others on domestic violence. Nothing will change his

628
00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:05,920
Speaker 1: past or make it right, but Ray's work has allowed

629
00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,799
Speaker 1: him to atone for his actions and rebuild relationships personally

630
00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:14,880
Speaker 1: and professionally, including with The Ravens. Ray Rice said that

631
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:16,880
Speaker 1: being featured as a Legend of the game by The

632
00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:20,920
Speaker 1: Ravens in twenty twenty three paralleled his sensation of winning

633
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,880
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl back in twenty thirteen. I know what

634
00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:26,000
Speaker 1: it feels like to feel like you ain't worth it

635
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,799
Speaker 1: no more. Ray Rice shared a lot of things I

636
00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,600
Speaker 1: had to overcome came out of me being at my lowest.

637
00:40:32,080 --> 00:40:36,440
Speaker 1: But my legacy won't be domestic violence. My legacy will

638
00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:40,760
Speaker 1: be what I became. After time will tell of Ray's

639
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:44,799
Speaker 1: hopeful words come to pass. Meanwhile, Janey stuck by him

640
00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:48,280
Speaker 1: all these years. They have two children together, and Janey

641
00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:51,040
Speaker 1: claims never to have regretted giving Ray a second chance.

642
00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:54,960
Speaker 1: I'm not here to force people to understand, Jenay said.

643
00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:58,800
Speaker 1: She continued, it was never a thought whether I was

644
00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,799
Speaker 1: going to leave or not, because I knew that wasn't

645
00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:05,080
Speaker 1: him in that moment. This is somebody I've known since

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00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:08,359
Speaker 1: I was fifteen years old. I knew that we had

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00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:11,000
Speaker 1: work to do, and I was willing to move forward

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00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:15,760
Speaker 1: and put in the work. While the Ray Rice scandal,

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00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:20,160
Speaker 1: which spans the gamut of unconscionable violence to redemptive commitment,

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00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:25,080
Speaker 1: remains controversial, it also represents the enduring hope that individuals

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00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:29,480
Speaker 1: can always emerge from the lowest points to make meaningful contributions.

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00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:33,560
Speaker 1: It's nice to close a scandal with some sweeter flavors

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00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:37,000
Speaker 1: lingering on the palette. Every now and then, regardless of

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00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:39,880
Speaker 1: how you feel about Ray Rice's efforts to redeem himself.

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00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:43,200
Speaker 1: We can all feel good about the people he's actively

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00:41:43,239 --> 00:41:47,359
Speaker 1: helping today through his own nonprofit Pipeline to Prosperity, as

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00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:49,400
Speaker 1: well as his work for the Make a Wish Foundation,

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00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:53,280
Speaker 1: cyber bullying prevention and homeless aid charities.

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00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:55,080
Speaker 2: If only all.

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00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:59,319
Speaker 1: Our scandals ended with a positive focus, Come Thirsty and

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00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:01,960
Speaker 1: meet me back here at the jusepar next week for

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00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:15,520
Speaker 1: a fresh episode of Playing Dirty Sports Scandals. Playing Dirty

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Speaker 1: Sports Scandals is a production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never

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Speaker 1: Ever Productions and Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick,

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00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:28,880
Speaker 1: Paul Anderson, Nick Panela, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted

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00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:33,160
Speaker 1: by Jay Harris, Written and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks,

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00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:35,160
Speaker 1: Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Claire