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Ray Rice says alcohol made him beat his wife in the elevator

1,486 views · Published 11 September 2014 · 11:15 · Indexed 19 October 2026

Channel: The Dr Boyce Watkins Black Excellence Channel · 2014 · Nonprofits & Activism

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The Ray Rice debacle is one of that might see the end of one of the greatest careers in the NFL today.  Two months ago, Rice was a superstar, and now he might be the most disgraced professional athlete since Tiger Woods in 2009.  

Rice's decision to punch his wife in the elevator is going to cost him everything, namely the $4 million he was set to be paid by the Baltimore Ravens.   

The Rice situation has sparked quite a bit of debate about domestic violence and whether or not we take it seriously in our society.  But one conversation that hasn't been had focuses on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. 

I had a feeling when Rice hit his wife that alcohol might have been involved.  It was late at night in Atlantic City, and both of them seemed to be acting out of character.   But since I didn't know for sure, I only mentioned it as a possibility.  

Eventually, Ray came clean and admitted that he'd turned up the bottle that night, and his wife had done the same.  This confirmed my suspicions.  I was also intrigued to see Ray use the alcohol as an excuse for why he did what he did.  

I guess for some, the alcohol excuse might be acceptable.  For me, it was not.  However, without digging further into an judgement about Ray Rice (even he agrees that what he did was wrong), there is room for an important conversation about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. 

As a professor on multiple college campuses, one of the things I've seen many times over the years are numerous tragedies related to excessive alcohol consumption.  I've seen young people ruin their lives and throw away everything because they chose not to put down the liquor bottle.  

Rice's misfortune provides a very important teachable moment for young people and the parents who claim to love them about not allowing alcohol to ruin everything you've worked for.  While you may not want to take responsibility for things you did while you were drunk, the truth is that society is always going to hold you accountable.  

That's what this video is all about.

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