Ray Rice promises to donate his salary to charity for a chance back in the NFL

Jul 22, 2016

Ray Rice has made a plea with NFL teams to sign him, along with a promise to donate one year of his salary to domestic violence programs.

The NFL running back has been unemployed since elevator footage of him abusing his current wife was released to the media. In 2014, the Baltimore Ravens released him. Despite being cleared by the NFL to be hired again, the 3-time Pro Bowler has yet to find a team willing to take a chance on him.

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“All the scrutiny that I’ve got, it was deserved, because domestic violence is a horrible thing,” Rice told USA Today. “I only want to play football so I can end it the right way for my kids and for the people that really believed in me. But I know there’s a lot of people affected by domestic violence, and every dollar helps. It’s raising awareness.”

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The minimum salary for the 29-year-old football star in 2016 would be $885,000, a far cry from the last $25 million dollar NFL contract he had. Rice insists he would use his money and platform differently than before.

“The only way to fix the problem is awareness. It’s an epidemic. I know that my situation raised awareness. I’m not thankful for being that guy, but I’m thankful for the people that now are not afraid to ask for help, because I had to go get the help myself after to realize the severity of what domestic violence is.”

Since the dismissal of his assault charge, Rice has also dedicated his time to speaking out at schools and training camps about the dangers of domestic abuse.

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Despite the intense fallout from the release of the elevator video, Rice and his then-fiancé Janay proceeded with their marriage plans. They have a 4-year-old daughter, Rayven, and a second child due in September.