LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. – The CEO at an area domestic violence shelter is speaking out about former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. Mary Anne Metheny said she is disappointed, but not surprised Rice won his suspension appeal by the NFL.
Metheny said the NFL Commission is making strides in the way it handles domestic violence but she is disappointed Rice didn’t face a harsher punishment.
“When you see that support of him, for me that just goes to show that you’re not taking domestic violence seriously,” Metheny said.
Metheny told FOX 4 Hope House helps thousands of women each year, just like Janay Rice.
“It’s not uncommon at all for there to be forgiveness and to say ‘I am willing to put this behind me and move forward,’” she said. “That’s something we see very regularly.”
Rice came under fire after he was seen in a video knocking out his then-fiancé in an Atlantic City casino elevator.
Although Metheny is disappointed the NFL Commission is giving Rice another shot on the field, she is applauding NFL players who are speaking out against domestic violence.
“They really have a voice that goes much farther than my voice or other people’s voices,” Metheny said. “People will listen to them.”