(CNN) — Ray Rice, the Baltimore Ravens running back suspended by the NFL for two games after video showed him dragging his then-fiancée (now his wife) from an elevator, told reporters on Thursday his actions were “inexcusable.”
“You know that’s not me,” he said. “You know that’s something I have to live … with the rest of my life.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week the running back would be suspended without pay for the first two games of the 2014 regular season.
He was also fined an additional game check for “conduct detrimental to the NFL,” according to a league news release.
Rice resolved the charges stemming from the incident with his wife, Janay, and entered a pretrial intervention program in May, the NFL said. Under the program, he won’t be prosecuted, and the charges will be expunged after a year, the league said.
Speaking at a news conference, Rice said he let down his family, teammates and the city of Baltimore. He said he knows his 2-year-old daughter might read about this Google one day.
“I let so many people down because of 30 seconds in my life that you know I know I can’t take back.”
Rice apologized to his wife and called her an “angel” who could do “no wrong.”
“We’re in counseling. We’re taking the necessary steps to move forward,” he said. “My job is to lead my family, my job is lead my wife, my job is to lead in whatever I do. And If I’m not being the example, then my family crumbles.
He said violence — “especially man on woman”– is wrong and shouldn’t be “tolerated.” He said he and his wife will speak out about domestic violence.
“When the time is right we will go out there and help as many people as we can,” he said.
