Janay Rice Breaks Her Silence

On Monday, the Baltimore Ravens terminated Ray Rice's contract after TMZ released a video of the running back knocking out Janay Rice in an elevator. If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's this: finally, Ray Rice got what he deserved. But Janay doesn't agree. On Tuesday, Janay finally broke her silence on her Instagram page with a statement.

I woke up this morning, feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I'm mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that it's reality is a nightmare itself. No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing.

To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don't you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels. Just know you've succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!

Unfortunately for Janay, the nightmare may not be over; the Associated Press released a third iteration of the video on Tuesday. In the longer cut, the couple is shown shouting obscenities at each other before Janay spits at Rice, which prompted the gruesome knockout punch.

The longer video shows Rice not only dragging Janay's limp body out of the elevator, but encountering hotel staff — and making no effort to get help or explain what happened.

The first version of the video was released in May and only showed Rice dragging an unconscious Janay out of the elevator. In response, the NFL barely even scolded Rice by suspending him from two games. Rice himself gave an alarmingly remorseless response:

I won’t call myself a failure. Failure is not getting knocked down, it’s not getting back up.

In light of the video's release, his comments feel loaded with double meaning, and they're incredibly disturbing.

On top of everything, the Ravens victim-shamed Janay after the first video was released, tweeting, "Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident." The tweet has since been deleted, but the damage was done.

Not only has the incident reveal a monstrous side to the once-beloved player, but the NFL revealed a deep-down misogyny that almost let Rice get away with domestic abuse.