Getty ImagesRavens wide receiver Torrey Smith has gotten to know teammate Ray Rice well over the years. And Smith and his wife Chanel have gotten to know the troubled running back and his fiance, Janay Palmer off the field as well.
So after talking to both since they were arrested on Feb. 15 for assault following an incident at an Atlantic City casino, Smith said he was there to support both of them.
“It’s definitely a situation that it’s nothing to be proud of for us or for him,” Smith told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. “He knows that. But Janay and Ray are great friends of ours. They’re focused on trying to fix it and make things right and we’re going to support them like we have in the past.
“Who are we to judge them? We don’t know what happened and we don’t know what they’re building on. I’ve talked to him and they are in a great space and trying to continue to grow from it. The fact that they are going on, moving on, trying to grow from it, we’re going to support them more than ever because a lot of people are going to turn their backs on them.”
While the Ravens have admitted the alleged video of Rice knocking out Palmer — along with the one that shows him dragging her unconscious body out of an elevator — “doesn’t look good,” they’re taking a patient approach.
Along with the arrest of wide receiver Deonte Thompson on marijuana charges, it hasn’t been a banner offseason for the Ravens.
But the Ravens have stood by troubled players before, and Smith’s backing indicates there’s no reason they won’t stick by Rice now.
That’s because if he stood in front of him, Rice might knock him out.
“Troubled Players”??? Oh yeah, you mean Ray Lewis (aka: OJ “lite”)
I was in a bar one night and saw a woman hit and poke a guy at least a dozen times before he slapped her. Guess who went to jail?
Typical. It’s worth noting the silence in Pittsburgh around this time of year. We’re all class, unlike some folks.
its another great day to be a raven!
#champs
The baltimore ravens are a low character organization.
“Torrey Smith stands behind troubled teammate Ray Rice”…You don’t want to stand in front of him, he’ll take your block off.
Torrey you are are doing what a GOOD Steeler teammate would do….you stand with your family threw thick and thin…..good job Mr Smith.
Takes a tough man to KO a woman.
He’s a real prince.
Dr. rustbelt; Let’s ask Chris Henry about his thoughts on the subject.
And as for Mr. Class let’s ask Mr. Roethlisberger about his thoughts.
Actually why don’t I ask the both of you to talk to James Harrison.
Not saying I don’t think Ray is scum for doing this, but lets not throw rocks from glass houses. A player is one thing, an organization another. Root for your team, not against mine.
I was in a bar one night and saw a woman hit and poke a guy at least a dozen times before he slapped her. Guess who went to jail?
So as a cave man you are outraged? I guess you like to beat women like Ray so you feel more powerful? Get some help dude really.
And over rated over paid JUMP BALL JOE stands behind both of them. He needs somone to go up and get all those punts he throws up!
When it comes to these things the entire equation must be figured in.
How many concussions has Rice had?
Is he on Meds for mental illness?
How intoxicated was he?
Concussions have been proven to distort people’s judgement. BTW I am not a Raven’s fan and I am not trying to defend him.
Video doesn’t look good for Ray, he missed wildly with two rights, his jabs weren’t landing and the girl was counterpunching effectively before he finally trapped her in a corner and landed a lucky haymaker.
Low character torrey smith stands behind al-qaeda kim jong-un, too.
Sugar Ray Rice.
Rice is garbage and if Smith stands with him, that makes him garbage too.
“Along with the arrest of wide receiver Deonte Thompson on marijuana charges, it hasn’t been a banner offseason for the Ravens.”
Comparatively speaking, their offseason has gone waaay better than their season did. You can count on one hand the number of offseason embarrassments, but nearly impossible to add up the season gaffe’s.
Also, there are 2 or 3 ravens I’d like to have on my team. T Smith is one of them.
Smith is a decent guy as far as I can tell. Ray screwed up but let’s not end his career. He should get a multigame suspension cause so far there is more evidence then there was against Ben. The police found insufficient evidence to even bring charges against him. With Lewis, at the very least, he was an accessory to murder. Most people believe believe he did more but that’s a moot point. He made a plea agreement to not stand trial, again it’s a moot point since no one was found guilty.
Oh and Drrustbelt, the Bengals lead the AFCN and are 2nd-3rd in the league in arrests since 2002. Worry about your own low character team, at least the Ravens don’t choke yearly.
Nothing like standing behind one of your teammate abusers. Says a lot about smith. He’ll probably be next.
So they are “in a great space” one week removed from him knocking her out? Um,yeah…okay.
We just win Superbowls.
Give it a few years and this will be acceptable behavior…much like the great decisions being made in the White House, the libs will soon see this as little more than a misunderstanding.
USA…USA…USA
Ben Roethilsberger is a rapist and the bengals have never win a Super Bowl. That is all.
lol – win ravens fans would talk about the bengals off field troubles – what comes around goes around ratbird fans
Lock the Dirtball up!
Rice knocked his fiancee out… dragged her halfway out of an elevator leaving her feet in the doors, just kind of stood over her like he was waiting for to get up and shake it off
and people are defending him? wow
He certainly doesn’t want to stand in front of him.
Smith is not standing up for the action of Rice. He is standing up because his friend can use some support right now. Nobody is saying that there wasn’t a lapse of judgement by Rice causing somebody harm. That looks to be the case. Smith is saying that his friend made a mistake and that he needs help and that he is going to be there for him. That’s what friends do. I hope that’s what mine would do. Everyone posting “Smith stands with with Rice,he is garbage too”…..you are the people that will bail on your friends in a second. Everyone has a friend that has done something that was uncharacteristic, if you haven’t, live a little longer it will happen.
@doctorrustbelt
As a Steelers fan, I have a million times more respect for the Ravens than for the Bengals.
They totally humiliated the AFC north with their failure to appear. It was right up there with the Super Bowl in stench. So before you slam either the Ravens or the Steelers, get a playoff win first.
Otherwise, 5th amendment is the way to go.
This is one of the reasons our society is going down the tubes. C’mon, he knocked his girlfriend out. Real classy.
take it easy on the doctor, he’s gotta be a mess right now. His team is contemplating signing his awful, choke-artist QB to a long term deal, and then the league announces the cap will be higher = done deal!
I have no idea how I’d act if another decade of humiliation was inevitable.
Comments here are great. Shows which Steeler fans have class when they respect and defend a pure class act like Torrey Smith. Also shows Raven and Steeler fans agree on at least one thing – Bengal fans haven’t earned the right to trash talk.
I commend Smith for being a good friend and teammate standing by Rice….but IMO, Rice is a woman beating POS, there’s nothing lower besides a pedophile than that!!! He should be forced to retire at worst, at least, suspended for an entire season….Goodell needs to start sending harsher messages to these overgrown kids that this kind of behavior that apparently most of society has learned that they haven’t is NOT acceptable, on any level.
OH HOW SWEET~~ Torrey Smith stand behind RICE, why just in case he smacks another female you can catch her before she hits the ground !!!!.. STANDING UP FOR A WOMEN BEATER~~~SO MUCH FOR YOU TO—-LOSER….GOD WHO DO THE RAVENS DRAFT !!!!
Unfortunately there are female NFL “groupies” who put themselves out there to be treated in such a manner, but that does not excuse the behavior.