Jonathan Ogden wants forgiveness for Ray Rice

NFL Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden wants the NFL fan base to forgive former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice because he is a “good man.”

Ray Rice was once considered one of the best running backs in the NFL, but unfortunately he threw all of that away when he decided to throw a few punches at his soon-to-be wife at the time. The disgusting video surfaced and shocked the nation.

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The NFL saw the video and moved quickly to suspend Rice indefinitely, but he has since been cleared to return to the league. Despite being cleared, there are still many questions that are being asked by teams who may be interested in bringing him in. There is no question that he is still capable of being a very solid starting running back, but at the end of the day he needs to get past the fact that he savagely beat his wife in an elevator.

Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden believes that Rice should be forgiven for his mistakes, as he has stepped up to defend the running back.

“We understand that the man made a huge mistake, but he’s done everything he could over the past year to make up for it,” Ogden said. “I think his record before that speaks to the fact that he really is a decent human being … and hopefully somebody will give him a chance because he’s a good running back and a good man.”

At 28 years of age, Rice may not have a ton of time left in his career to play at a high level. There is a shelf life on running backs and Ray Rice is nearing that 30-year old expiration date. Plenty of teams have a need at the running back position, but Rice’s past will definitely be a deal breaker for quite a few different teams.

This type of comment from a Hall of Famer is a encouraging sign for teams that are interested in Rice. Ogden is a very well respected player himself, and sticking his neck out for Rice is a major show of faith.

[H/T: TMZ]

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