According to USA Today, all domestic violence charges have been dropped against former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.
Rice was charged with third degree assault after surveillance video showed him punching his then fiancée, Janay Palmer, in the face thereby knocking her unconscious, then dragging her limp body out of an elevator at the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ in February of 2014.
Judge Michael Donio reportedly dismissed the charges against Rice after being informed that the 28-year-old had completed his pretrial conditions, including completing anger management counseling and paying a $125 fine.
Some critics, however, have questioned whether Rice received preferred treatment in the case because of his pro athlete status. Records obtained by the Associated Press reveal that of more than 15,000 domestic violence cases in New Jersey between 2010 and 2013, only 70 were allowed into the pretrial program. State guidelines call for violent crime offenders to “generally be rejected” from the program, but prosecutor Jim McClain agreed to admit Rice after speaking in-depth with Palmer.
Initially, Rice was only given a two game suspension by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who saw the footage before it went public. Once the footage was leaked to the public, Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely, many believe due to public backlash. Rice appealed his suspension and was reinstated into the league in November 2014.
Rice is currently a free agent as no team has signed him since his reinstatement.
