The Ray Rice incident has “transcended sports,” as Extra‘s Charissa Thompson makes clear right at the beginning of her Sept. 10 interview with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Rice knocked his then-fiancee Janay Palmer out cold in an Atlantic City casino elevator on Feb. 15, and the two were arrested. TMZ released the first video on Feb. 19, which showed Rice dragging his now-wife out of the elevator.
After being accepted into a pre-trial program for first-time offenders on May 21 to avoid prosecution, Rice was subsequently given a two-game suspension by commissioner Roger Goodell on July 24.
It was a decision that was roundly criticized, especially when juxtaposed with other suspensions Goodell levied around the same time (season-long ban for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon over marijuana; four games for Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater for an alcohol-related violation).
Then, on Sept. 8, TMZ leaked a second video from Feb. 15, this one clearly showing Rice’s decisive blow. That same day, the Baltimore Ravens released Rice, and the league followed by suspending him indefinitely.
That’s the backdrop for Charissa Thompson’s interview with Rousey at the premier party for Fox Sports 1’s The Ultimate Fighter Season 20 (shown in the video above).
Rousey says, “I saw it [the second video] last night with the sound off,” adding, “What the hell am I watching? Is this SportsCenter? I couldn’t even believe my eyes. And then when I heard they were still like [together]; I mean, I’m just gonna go and say that probably was not a wise decision.”
When asked about the message for women, Rousey said, “For women, I think you just need to respect yourself and see what you’re worth, and know what you’re worth. And unfortunately I think a lot of women undersell themselves, and they don’t know how much they really deserve. And I know for a fact that that woman deserves more than what she believes.”
Rousey‘s public persona and popularity gives her the power to change the way women feel about themselves and how they defend their personal worth.
Let’s hope Ray Rice serves as an example for us all.
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