BREAKING: Ray Rice Arrested Friday Night in Atlantic City
The Sun — Ravens running back Ray Rice was arrested over the weekend after an alleged physical altercation with a woman at a casino in Atlantic City, according to his attorneys. Rice’s attorney Andrew Alperstein confirmed Rice was charged and released after what he described as allegations of a “very minor physical altercation” at Revel Casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Alperstein also said a woman he identified as Rice’s fiancée was also charged and released in connection with the incident. Rice, 27, was released on his own recognizance, Alperstein said. Atlantic City police have not returned calls about the incident. According to Ravens director of public relations Chad Steele: “We are aware of the Friday night situation with Ray Rice and his fiancee. We have spoken with Ray, and know that they returned home together after being detained.” Michael Diamondstein, a Philadelphia-based attorney has been hired to represent Rice. “We haven’t seen any charging documents yet,” Diamondstein said. “There was an argument that included Ray. I can’t give any specifics because we haven’t seen the document yet.” “Once we’re able to go through the evidence, it should wind up to be little more than a misunderstanding,” Diamondstein said.
Not exactly the news Ravens fans are looking to hear early in the offseason. Rice has been adamant over the past few weeks that he’s rededicating himself in the weight room, saying that his poor performance from last season won’t happen again. Not exactly the best start. Incidents like these aren’t going to endear him to a fan base frustrated with a disappointing season.
The good news is this appears to be a minor incident. I’m not somebody who thinks that athletes need to lay low 24/7 and keep to themselves. Most of us have engaged in Atlantic City type debauchery, and I think Ray Rice has built up enough goodwill with fans for this to be a non-issue. But you know armchair coaches are going to criticize this incident, saying that his focus isn’t where it should be. And that’s a shame. Regardless, no matter how you slice it, this is a bad look for Raymell and hopefully this is rock bottom for him and he can bounce back and get back to where he was just two years ago.