Ray Rice has vowed to not keep a dime of the money he earns in the event that an NFL team gives him another shot.
On Wednesday, Rice told Tom Pelissero of USA TODAY Sports that he would donate his entire salary in 2016 to organizations that help prevent domestic violence if he was signed.
“All the scrutiny that I’ve got, it was deserved, because domestic violence is a horrible thing,” Rice said. “Me donating my salary is something that’ll be from the heart for me. I only want to play football so I can end it the right way for my kids and for the people that really believed in me. But I know there’s a lot of people affected by domestic violence, and every dollar helps. It’s raising awareness.”
Rice said he would give the money to both organizations that raise awareness and others that support survivors of domestic violence and their families.
“People need homes. People need shelter when they’re in a crucial situation,” he said. “I’ve donated a lot of money to charities, but I had a situation where it was a national crisis. I’m not saying I’d be (donating the salary) to get on the field, but it’s something that will show where my heart is. My heart is about finishing the right way and helping people along the way.”
If a team did decide to take a chance on Rice, he would likely have to sign for the veteran minimum of $885,000. As Pelissero notes, the 29-year-old earned about $25 million in the first two years of his last contract with the Baltimore Ravens before he was released. Rice made it clear that giving money is just one way he plans to help raise awareness.
“I think the biggest donation that you can give to domestic violence is your time,” he added. “I’m not just going to be giving it because I have money. I’m going to be giving it because I did the background and the research and spent a lot of time with people who understand the cause.”
It has been nearly two years since a disturbing video showed Rice hitting his wife Janay, who was his fiancee at the time. The mistake cost him the final years of his career, and it’s still highly unlikely that a team will give him another chance.
