Ray Rice will be suspended for the Ravens’ first two games, missing division-rival contests against the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, ESPN is reporting.
The sports network’s leading NFL reporter, Adam Schefter, tweeted this morning, “per sources,” that the announcement is expected to be made sometime Thursday.
Rice was arrested in February at an Atlantic City casino and charged with domestic violence after he and his wife, Janay Rice—at the time, his fiancée—got into a physical altercation and he was later seen in a security video dragging her from an elevator. Rice did not go to trial on the charges, but was instead accepted into a pre-trial program for first-time offenders.
Known for his community work and anti-bullying crusade, Rice later apologized for his actions, saying he had “failed miserably.” According to BaltimoreRavens.com, Rice would lose two game checks, totaling more than $470,00, plus an additional $58,000, if the suspension goes through.
Rice was one of five Baltimore Ravens arrested this offseason. Former Temple star and backup Bernard Pierce will be expected to fill Rice’s shoes for the first two games.
Traditionally, suspensions for performance-enhancing drug use is four games, which several follow-up tweets to Schefter noted, including @rone, who wrote: “so domestic violence is only half as bad as taking steroids… good to know.”