Report: John Harbaugh wanted to release Ray Rice in February
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbuagh wanted to release Ray Rice in February after he was seen dragging his unconscious then-fiancee out of an Atlantic City Casino elevator but was overruled by Ravens management, according to an ESPN report.
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The Ravens were made aware of the Rice incident hours after the incident by a police lieutenant who gave Ravens security director a detailed account of what transpired inside the elevator while watching surveillance video.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome urged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to be lenient with Rice and rejected Harbaugh’s recommendation to cut their six-year veteran tailback.
It was not until TMZ released the video of what happened inside the elevator that showed Rice punching his fiancee Janay Palmer in the face and rendering her unconscious and then walking over her limp body and dragging her out of the elevator.
Much blame has been laid to the Ravens and the NFL for their mishandling of the Rice discipline, but Harbaugh should be commended for wanting to take swift action of Rice without needing to see the tape.
This makes the Ravens front office, management and ownership look even worse than they already did by asking for leniency and supporting a person who committed an act of domestic violence.
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