Ray Rice suspended for first two games

<p> It took a while for the NFL to come up with a suspension for Ravens running back Ray Rice. It appears the wait is now over.</p> <p> On Thursday, The Baltimore Sun reported that Rice <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-ray-rice-suspended-for-two-games-20140724,0,1145794.story">will receive a two-game suspension</a> for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Rice was arrested in February and charged with assaulting his now-wife, Janay Rice, at Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. The two were engaged at the time and have since been married.</p> <p> A video that TMZ obtained showed Rice carrying Janay Rice (then Janay Palmer) out of an elevator before dropping her to the floor. Rice was accepted into a pretrial diversion program in New Jersey and will have the charge erased from his record upon completion.</p> <p> Rice's image was spotless before the February incident. He's since lost endorsements with a lot of fans in the area unhappy that he was implicated in a domestic dispute.</p> <p> Though the punishment does seem light, there has been a precident for first-time offenders in domestic cases in the NFL, to which they don't receive stiff punishments. However, it is of note to point out that those that violate the NFL's PEDs policy will receive a four-game suspension the first time they test positive.</p> <p> Rice had a career-worst season a year ago, running for 660 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games played. For his sake, he'll need a big year to win over the fans that fell out of favor with him this offseason.</p> <p> Follow me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/jasonhbutt">@JasonHButt</a></p>
Aaron Wilson
Aaron Wilson covers the NFL for National Football Post, his second stint at the Post. He has previously written for Pro Football Talk and FOX Sports-Scout. Entering his 13th year covering the Baltimore Ravens, he's a beat writer for The Baltimore Sun. Wilson has also covered the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.

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