Ravens Start Throwing Stones Inside Their Glass House

Back in July, I wrote a scathing article blasting Roger Goodell and the Ravens and how they handled the Ray Rice situation and how the NFL has an image problem. This week the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL finally handed Ray Rice the punishment he deserved a long time ago.

But, please spare me the praise the Ravens have received for "doing the right thing." The only reason Ray Rice has been cut by the Ravens and suspended by the NFL indefinitely is because a video came out which exposed the team and the league for what they really are - spineless hypocrites who think you, their customers, are so dumb you will just buy whatever crap they want to feed you.

What did that video of Ray Rice cold cocking his fiancée show us that we didn't already know? To my knowledge, Ray Rice had never denied knocking out his fiancée. Apparently, in the eyes of the NFL and the Ravens, the knowledge of what occurred was worth two games. But, seeing the video of what we already knew had occurred made the punishment eight times greater. Makes sense, right?

The Ravens and the NFL don't want you to believe this, but make no mistake about it, had TMZ not released that video, Ray Rice would be rejoining his teammates in Baltimore this Friday. Had that tape not been released, the Baltimore faithful would be giving Ray Rice another standing ovation next Sunday. Had that tape not been released, the Ravens would not have removed the shameful tweet their incredible PR folks posted regarding Janay Palmer regretting her role during the night in question.

Remember, this an organization who didn't have a problem placing Jamal Lewis - convicted of trying to purchase five kilos of cocaine with the intent to distribute - into their Ring of Honor in 2012. This is an organization that just placed a bronze statue of Ray Lewis outside their stadium - a man who at worst took part in murdering two men; and at best, helped cover up the murder of two men (to this day no one has been convicted of the murders...but Ray Lewis settled with the families - just like OJ).

This is a Ravens organization who trotted Terrell Suggs out as a captain this past Sunday, one day before the Ray Rice tape was released. The same Terrell Suggs who has been accused on three separate occasions of domestic abuse (2007, 2009, 2011). Google the claims/police reports, they include breaking his girlfriend's nose, pouring bleach over the head of his girlfriend and his child, and lastly, punching his girlfriend in the neck and dragging her outside a speeding car with their children inside.

But don't worry, Suggs is allowed in the Ravens locker room. In fact, if you are appalled by Ray Rice's actions, you can trade in your Ray Rice jersey for a brand new Terrell Suggs jersey!

I would love to hear someone ask the morally conscious Ravens organization, and more specifically, owner Steve Bisciotti, when will Terrell Suggs be released? When can fans trade in their Suggs jerseys? (You can bet people in Rice's camp will be bringing this up over the next few months.)

All I know is that on Monday, when a disturbing tape was released by TMZ, all of the sudden the Ravens organization "cared" about domestic abuse, character and image and did not want to open their locker room doors to a player who committed such a heinous crime. The Ravens put their foot down and loudly, and very publicly proclaimed that they we will not tolerate players who commit such crimes or shed bad light on their organization... unless of course said crime is not on video (Suggs, Lewis), then by all means, have a captains patch, or a statue.