Ray Rice Rumors: Cleveland Browns Fans Weigh In On Signing Rice
Ray Rice rumors have linked the Cleveland Browns to the former star running back. Many Rice rumors have floated around, including a return to the Baltimore Ravens. A report from NFL.com on Friday (August 14) even quoted Browns’ head coach Mike Pettine saying he would be “OK” with the team bringing on Rice. That’s not exactly the same sentiment that Browns fans weighed in with though a recent poll in the Times-Reporter.
A poll in the sports section of the New Philadelphia (Ohio) Times-Reporter asked Cleveland Browns fans, “Should the Browns sign running back Ray Rice?” The overwhelming results might be a hint to the front office that this is one player the team should stay away from. Sixty-six percent of the respondents voted “no” in the poll, with just 34 percent of the voters feeling the team should sign the troubled running back. This is a familiar opinion among most NFL fans this offseason.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, an off-field case against Rice has been dismissed, allowing him to return to action during the 2015 NFL season. Many Ray Rice rumors have popped up, including potential interest coming from the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, and Cleveland Browns. There has not been any significant movement when it comes to a team signing him, though, with a possible public relations nightmare awaiting the franchise willing to give him a second chance.
Rice hasn’t played in an official game since the end of the 2013 NFL season, but recent reports state that he is in good football shape. There are even some rumors that he has slimmed down and could be a bit quicker off the line. Those are opinions from NFL analysts just watching him practice, though, and not necessarily how he would do on the field now. Still, there is a reason he was considered one of the best running backs in the game, and that might be reason enough for a team like the Baltimore Ravens to sign him again.
The future is very murky for Rice, as he still has a lot to do in order to clean up his image with the public. There are a lot of NFL fans, in a similar fashion to what happened with Michael Vick, who are never going to get past what he did to his wife. This could be why many Cleveland Browns fans don’t want the team to sign him, and why it may continue to be tough for him to find a new job. That won’t stop more Ray Rice rumors from popping up, especially when so many NFL teams are very weak at the running back position.
[Image Source: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
