Apologies Aren't Enough

No one gives a rip about apologies. Once you've done the act you're going to be labeled as a theft or a drug user; and in the case of professional football player Ray Rice, a wife beater until your last day on this earth.

No one cares that he's made amends with his wife about the matter (one which she shares the blame); and no one cares that he has admitted his faults publicly for a something that is a million times more personal than it is public. Does the apology sound truthful enough for us? That's where our thoughts lie. Is it truth enough for us? For us?!

Look, sports commentator Stephen A. Smith got into a little hot water during the week for saying that Rice's booky boo (and basically, all women for that matter) are just as responsible for domestic violence as the men. Well, that could possibly be true; but that's not the issue right now. And many feel that the two-game suspension which Rice received as punishment for his actions was a minor consequence in comparison to the one year suspensions that are handed down to athletes who got caught for illegal drug use. That too is also a matter of interest; but that also is a whole different matter. The issue here is about us and our lack of empathy for fellow humans.. Us feeling that we are both the judge and the jury.  I've even heard professional news reporters say that he didn't seem apologetic enough, or the second public apology seemed more sincere than the first.  I mean, who the freak are we to judge?

There is one thing that is for certain here.  We don not know what happened in that elevator prior to seeing his fiance' apparently unconscious outside of an elevator. Without a doubt it was a horrible sight; yet still, the commissioner of the league (who saw the incident in its entirety by footage which we will probably never see) still managed to suspended Rice for only two games.  A commissioner, who knows fully well that he will be jeered upon sight for the remainder of the year, still felt that what he saw via censored footage has an end result that comes close to justifying the matter entirely.

So what do I say about it all?  It's simple; don't judge Ray Rice.  To be honest with you, I'm a Baltimore Ravens fan and I wouldn't have cared if he got suspended for the entire season, or even for the remainder of his career. I don't think he's been the same type of player since his 2011 season.  I don't think the team really need him; and I really don't expect much from him once he returns.  But what I do know is that the man said he was sorry. And if his apology is good enough for his wife then who in-the-hell am I to judge otherwise.