If you didn’t know who Janay Rice was before, you do now. Janay is the wife of Ray Rice and the women he allegedly punched in an elevator. In March an elevator surveillance tape turned up that captured a man who appeared to be Ray Rice, punching a woman and dragging her from the elevator.
Over the last few weeks the video has gotten a lot of attention and the woman in the video was identified as Janay Rice, who was at the time, only Ray’s fiancé.
In spite of the evidence of abuse, Janay is defending her husband and says that she is just as much to blame for his actions as he is. In a recent interview she criticized the NFL for banning Ray for life because of the incident.
“To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his a** off for all his life just to gain ratings is a horrific [sic]. THIS IS OUR LIFE!” she wrote on Instagram.
NFL wives defend Janay Palmer Rice's decision to stand by her husband #RayRice http://t.co/kHnmZZL2Uk pic.twitter.com/qpBxpPtRS0
— People magazine (@peoplemag) September 10, 2014
She has also been defending her husband in interviews over the last few days and recently told ESPN, “I love my husband. I support him. I want people to respect our privacy in this family matter.”
Back in March she talked about the incident and said that she may have instigated the fight.
“I do deeply regret the role that I played in the incident that night, but I can say that I am happy that we continued to work through it together,” she told the press conference. An unedited version of the video in the elevator which circulated Monday appeared to show that Janay and Ray Rice exchanged obscenities and that she spit in his face before he hit her.
“I love Ray and I know he will continue to prove himself,” she said at a March press conference.
There's more to their story. Here are 7 things to know about Ray and Janay Rice: http://t.co/fpHqaifA36 pic.twitter.com/MPAyTDUuLD
— CNN (@CNN) September 10, 2014
Many women who are the victims of domestic violence choose to defend their abusers. Some claim to do it because they are scared, others because they love their partner so much. Regardless of the reason, domestic violence shouldn’t be tolerated and there are numerous way to get help if needed.
