Changing the Game of Violence

By: Alexandria Somers

BLUE BELL, PA--Ray Rice, a professional football running back, is no longer with the Baltimore Ravens and is suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

     On March 27, 2014, Rice was arrested and indicted for third-degree aggravated assault. The Ravens were forced to do the right thing, after a video was released by TMZ revealing what happened in February inside a casino elevator in Atlantic City, according to USA Today. 

     Rice punched his then fiancée, now his wife, rendering her unconscious and then dragged her by the hair out of the elevator. A few months after the incident, Rice and his wife Janay Palmer sat in a news conference, where his wife apologized for her “role” in the incident. After reviewing the videotape, her role looked to be as if she was the victim.

     Victims of domestic abuse often are in difficult situations. There is help if you are in an abusive relationship. “If people are not willing or able to leave a situation, I would encourage
them to get therapy to begin to figure out what their best course of action would be,” said Dr.
Stephanie Yoder, Director of Clinical Services at Brooke Glen Behavioral Hospital in Fort
Washington, Pennsylvania.

     “It starts young,” says Kristin Fulmer, a counselor at Montgomery County Community College. Rice could have underlying psychological problems that led to this incident. While this is not an excuse for his actions, there are other assessments that need to be conducted to effectively evaluate and treat a volatile situation. “There are many underlying causes for abusive behavior,” states, Dr. Yoder. “No matter if you are a celebrity or not, domestic violence is not to be tolerated, no matter what the circumstance.”

     There are outreach groups that you can contact if you are going through abuse in a relationship. Montgomery County Community College, for instance, has counselors in the student success center like Kristin Fulmer, who students can talk to about any problems. If you are a victim of domestic abuse, you can visit www.mc3.edu, select Campus Life and under the drop down list, select sexual misconduct, for more information.