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The Baltimore Ravens failed to reach the postseason in 2013 after winning the Super Bowl the previous year, and a lot of their struggles had to do with the lack of a productive running game.
Ray Rice wasn't the Pro Bowl running back we've become accustomed to seeing, as he gained a mere 660 rushing yards and scored just four touchdowns this past season, and the Ravens missed the playoffs for the first time since he was drafted out of Rutgers in 2008.
He vowed to get back to his old self this offseason and have bounce-back season in 2014, but he's off to a rough start in doing so after he was reportedly arrested in an incident that took place at an Atlantic City casino, according to Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun:
Ravens running back Ray Rice was arrested over the weekend after an alleged physical altercation with a woman at a casino in Atlantic City, according to his attorneys.
Rice’s attorney Andrew Alperstein confirmed Rice was charged and released after what he described as allegations of a "very minor physical altercation" at Revel Casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
Alperstein said a woman he identified as Rice’s fiancée was also charged and released in connection with the incident. Rice, 27, was released on his own recognizance, Alperstein said.
The Revel casino security department declined to comment when reached earlier Sunday. Atlantic City police have not returned calls about the incident.
Rice's other attorney, Michael Diamondstein, released this statement:
"We haven’t seen any charging documents yet," Diamondstein said. "There was an argument that included Ray. I can’t give any specifics because we haven’t seen the document yet."
"Once we’re able to go through the evidence, it should wind up to be little more than a misunderstanding."
There's also a report from Deadspin that Rice hit the woman in question with an uppercut:
According to our tipster, though, word at the Revel early Saturday morning was that a woman—presumably the fiancée—had spit on Rice and that in retaliation, he uppercut her, knocking her completely unconscious.
Sounds like a little more than a "misunderstanding".