Ray Rice: 'I Made a Horrendous Mistake'

The awkward press conference in which former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice apologized to fans and teammates for assaulting his wife -- but omitted an apology to her – was a huge oversight, he say.

On Tuesday, Ray Rice spoke to Matt Lauer on “The Today Show” about the night he punched his wife, Jannay, in an Atlantic City elevator so hard that she lost consciousness. The assault led to Rice’s termination from the NFL club, and criminal charges. He is now reportedly talking with other teams after the league lifted his suspension; no contract has yet been announced.

“I made a horrendous mistake not apologizing to my wife,” Ray Rice told Lauer.

He also said that Jannay’s apology at the press conference for her role in their quarrel, which drew criticism from many as blaming the victim of domestic violence, was her attempt to stand up for her husband. While there have been pundits who said Jannay Rice was protecting the couple’s income, Ray Rice said his wife is an independent woman.

“My wife can survive in this world without me,” he told Lauer. “She could survive in this world in society without me. She could’ve done it on her own.”

And Ray Rice reiterated a description of his wife he said at a previous press conference, calling her an angel who can do no wrong.

Janay Rice began to cry Monday as Lauer read something she posted on Instagram in September after footage of her husband Ray Rice assaulting her went public.

See also: Today Show Interviews Janay Rice at Reisterstown Home

Ray Rice, a running back with the Baltimore Ravens since 2008, was charged with assault in New Jersey, where he hit Janay in a casino elevator in February. He is completing a pretrial intervention program for the third-degree assault charge.

The NFL suspended him for two games and after TMZ released a video that showed Ray Rice hitting Janay Rice inside the elevator, the Ravens terminated his contract and the NFL suspended him indefinitely, a ruling that was overturned.

Ray Rice was a three-time Pro Bowler as a Ravens running back who played six seasons before his release in September. Last month, Ray Rice was reinstated and is now eligible to play in the NFL after former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones determined that the indefinite suspension was an “abuse of discretion,” ESPN reported.

• Read the full ESPN essay written by Janay Rice here.
• Watch the Today show interview with Janay Rice and Candy Palmer here.

Related:

• New Video of Ray Rice Shows What Happened Inside Elevator
• Janay Rice, Wife of Ray Rice, Responds to ‘Horrible Nightmare’
• NFL Enacts Tougher Domestic Violence Penalties After Ray Rice Criticism
• Baltimore Ravens Release Ray Rice After TMZ Video Comes Out
• NFL Makes Decision on Ray Rice Suspension
• Ray Rice to Appeal Indefinite Suspension from NFL
• Ray Rice Appeal Process Begins
• Bisciotti to Fans: ‘Seeing That Video Changed Everything’
• Law Enforcement Officer: NFL Received Rice Assault Footage Months Ago

»Screenshot of Jannay and Ray Rice from “The Today Show”