During an interview with the Today show host Matt Lauer, Janay Rice said that is was not her idea to publicly apologize for being a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband, Ray Rice.
Rice, the wife of the NFL free agent, stated that the Baltimore Ravens “suggested” she apologize during a press conference that was held back in May, reports the Huffington Post .
Rice told Lauer that she would not have apologized or held a press conference had the Ravens not proposed that she do so. The interview came just days after Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension from the NFL was overturned. Rice was joined on the set of the Today show by her mother, Candy Palmer, reports the Daily Beast .
Rice spoke openly about the apology.
“They basically gave us a general script,” she said.
Rice said being instructed to apologize frustrated her.
“That was frustrating for me because, obviously, people took it as I’m taking light off of what Ray did. In no way,” Rice said.
“Or you’re giving him an excuse,” Candy Palmer added.
“Yeah. No, not at all. I was basically, doing what I was told, but at the same time I didn’t think it was completely wrong for me to apologize, because at the end of the day, I got arrested too. I did something wrong too. Not taking any light off what Ray did because I agree with everybody else, it was wrong,” Rice explained.
Rice also did an earlier interview with ESPN’s Jemele Hill where she also indicated that the Raven’s had provided her with a “suggested script.”
Rice said she had to swallow down her anger during the press conference.
“Looking out over the media, I became angry, seeing all the people who had been covering this and adding to the story. I wanted to tell everyone what was really on my mind. When it was my turn to speak, I said I regretted my role in the incident. I know some people disagreed with me publicly apologizing. I’m not saying that what Ray did wasn’t wrong. He and I both know it was wrong. It’s been made clear to him that it was wrong. But at the same time, who am I to put my hands on somebody? I had already apologized to Ray, and I felt that I should take responsibility for what I did,” she said.
The act of violence between Rice and her husband took place in February at a casino in Atlantic City. Originally, the NFL gave Ray Rice a two-game suspension in July, but upgraded that to an indefinite ban that has been lifted.
