Baltimore Ravens: Ray Rice Court Case Dismissed

A New Jersey judge dismissed domestic violence charges against former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice on Thursday after completing a one-year pretrial intervention program.

Judge Michael Dinio dismissed the charges against Rice, who paid $125 in fines and was ordered to do anger management courses. The motion to dismiss the charges means that Rice will still have an arrest on his record, but no conviction. The judge sent an email to ABCNews.com earlier in the day.

"“I was just presented with a dismissal order from Prosecutor [James] McClain — which means that Ray Rice has successfully completed all of his terms and conditions of his PTI — therefore based on the Prosecutors recommendation I will be signing Mr. Rice’s dismissal of his case today.”"

Rice was charged with three-degree aggravated assault in a February 2014 incident at Atlantic City’s Revel Casino in which he knocked out his then-fiancé in an elevator. Rice has not played in a single regular season game since TMZ released the video of Rice punching Janay Palmer in the face and then dragging her motionless body across the casino floor.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell initially suspended the running back for two games, but made the suspension indefinite following the release of the video. The former Rutgers star hasn’t been on the football field since, and the NFL has toughened its stance on domestic violence cases throughout the league.

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Based on the evidence, Greg Hardy is clearly a worse person than Rice. Hardy already had a history of domestic violence charges against him leading up to his most recent case. He had been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, and it’s how the incident supposedly went down that is disgusting. Hardy was accused of throwing Holder into a bathtub, tossing her onto a futon covered with guns and then attempted to choke her. He also is accused of threatening to kill her. Real manly actions right there.

The problem with Rice is everybody in America saw that video. If you are reading this, you are most likely a football fan and know who Greg Hardy is. The casual person does not, but that person does know who Ray Rice is. There is no evidence of Hardy making his wife’s body crumble with a punch and then attempt to carry her out of an elevator. Words don’t have the same affect on people as video. We all saw Janay hit the floor.

For some reason, both cases are dismissed. The judicial system has failed both of these women, regardless of whether they wanted the charges dropped or not. Plenty of people do something that they later forget, but do not get away with it. Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself and served time in prison. The fact that these guys make millions should not exclude them from the punishment they deserve.

Back to football because that is just part of the reason why Hardy is playing and Rice is not. The performance on the field is a big difference between the two. The last we saw Hardy on a football field in 2014, he recorded 15 sacks. He had 11 sacks the season before. He has been playing at a high level.

The same can’t be said for Rice. After posting four straight seasons of 1,600 total yards from 2009 to 2012, he had the worst season of his career in 2013, rushing for just 660 yards and a dreadful 3.1 yards per carry. He seemed to slow down over the second half of the 2012 season and that carried into 2013. He lacked the shiftiness that made him such a threat for the Ravens in the past.

That is why Hardy is on a team and Rice is not. The Dallas Cowboys knew that there was a strong possibility that Hardy would be suspended, and Jerry Jones still signed him. Rice is eligible to play and no one wants him. Nobody wants to take on that media circus for an average player when you can find someone with less drama in the draft. No matter what he says or does, Rice will have this cloud lingering over his head for the rest of his life.

Rice has been free to sign with a team since winning a grievance against the league that ended his indefinite suspension. The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts were rumored to have interest in Rice towards the end of last season, but ultimately decided not to sign him. Injuries in camps could help Rice draw interest in the upcoming months. If no team picks him up by the end of training camp, however, it’s likely that his NFL career is over.

Rice rushed for 6,180 yards and 37 touchdowns and caught 369 passes for 3,034 yards in his six seasons in Baltimore, earning a Super Bowl ring following a 2012 season in which he finished with 2,015 total yards.

It is starting to look likely that those numbers may never change.

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