Purple Power
By now, we have all seen or heard the play-by-play of the leaked elevator footage showing Janay Palmer Rice being punched and knocked unconscious by her then fiancé, now husband, NFL Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.
October is highly recognized for the power of pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, but that isn’t the only cause worth your attention this month. October claims another national awareness yet worthy cause for the color purple: Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
TMZ released the video on September 8. On the same date, the Ravens terminated Ray Rice’s NFL contract after releasing an additional video of the incident. He is suspended indefinitely from the National Football League.
In the time since the footage leaked, many discussions have been happening: how should the NFL handle domestic violence? Why is Janay Rice standing by her man?
It’s interesting that during October, the NFL promotes breast cancer awareness but overlooks domestic violence. The NFL remains the No.1 most-watched sport in the United States. A reported 205 million unique television viewers tune in for the weekly Sunday games.
The prominent controversy forces the NFL to take a stand on domestic violence issues. What if, during every NFL game, a public announcement was made regarding domestic violence for all the 205 million viewers at some point?
“Learn the 8 Before it’s Too Late”:
Janay Rice posted a statement on her Instagram account the day after the video was released. She said, “Reality is a nightmare in itself,” and criticized the media for causing her family pain. “To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is horrible,” she wrote.
Behind closed doors, I hope all is well in the Rice household, especially for Janay, considering she has to live with her now unemployed NFL player husband, Ray Rice. I pray that they both seek counseling to enable Purple Power education so they can live together as a family.