This Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens will honor former Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice as the Legend of the Game against the Miami Dolphins.
This decision is controversial, given the situation that ended Rice’s NFL career. In 2014, TMZ released a video of Rice striking his fiancee in an elevator while in Atlantic City. The Ravens released the three-time Pro Bowler following the reveal of the video.
Rice has since worked diligently to raise awareness for domestic violence. Still, for many, his actions that night in Atlantic City will always supersede his accomplishments as a player and his work off the field since.
Rice was initially drafted out of Rutgers by Baltimore with the No. 55 overall pick in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. In his six seasons with the Ravens, Rice rushed for 6,180 yards and 37 touchdowns on 1,430 carries while adding another 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns through the air on 369 receptions.
Rice’s on-field career is best remembered by the 4th-and-29 conversion, now famously called “Hey Diddle Diddle, Ray Rice Up the Middle,” in which Rice turned a checkdown into a miraculous first down to keep the game alive against the San Diego Chargers in 2012. Baltimore went on to win that game and eventually the Super Bowl that season, with Rice being a significant contributor.
Rice is being honored during the Ravens’ biggest game of the season as they take on the Dolphins for the claim to the coveted AFC’s No. 1 seed. If Baltimore wins, they will clinch the top seed and enter Week 18 with the option to rest several players against the Pittsburgh Steelers before the playoffs start.
