Janay Rice, who was struck in an Atlantic City elevator by husband Ray Rice, took to Instagram on Tuesday to express her pain and frustration with the TMZ-released video of the punch, which started a chain reaction of Rice being cut by the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL suspending him indefinitely.
“I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend,” she wrote in the Instagram post. “But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare itself. No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing.
“To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don’t you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!”
Originally, Rice was suspended by the NFL for two games, which was decried nationally as far too lenient. It led to the league instituting a domestic violence program that would suspend any NFL staff member for six games with a first offense and give an indefinite suspension with a second offense.
