AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage sounded off Tuesday about the indefinite suspension Monday by the National Football League of Ray Rice.
“It is a sad commentary that the NFL only took action to suspend Rice until after it had seen this shocking video,” LePage said. “The Ravens and the NFL knew Rice knocked his then-fiancee unconscious and dragged her body out of an elevator.
“That kind of domestic violence is more than enough evidence for the NFL to have suspended Rice and for the Ravens to let him go,” LePage said. “It’s too bad they waited so long to do the right thing.”
In August, LePage called out NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after Rice’s two-game suspension from the Ravens for being too lenient and sending a message that it’s OK “for professional athletes to beat women just for the sake of ratings.”
” Taking thugs and wife-beaters off the field may be bad for business, but you are playing games with people’s lives,” said LePage.
Rice was arrested in February after striking his fiancee Janay Palmer in an Atlantic City elevator. New video released this week shows Rice striking Palmer in the face, appearing to knock her out before dragging her from the elevator.
Rice has since been released from the Baltimore Ravens and placed on indefinite suspension by the NFL.
Always outspoken on the issue of domestic violence, LePage signed legislation in March banning alleged domestic assault offenders from contacting victims from time of arrest until bail is set. It also allowed law enforcement to share someone’s criminal history record with advocates to allow them to plan for the victim’s safety.