Ray Rice should sit out season as video emerges of his knockout punch

A newly released TMZ video is shedding new light on an incident that took place inside an elevator of an Atlantic City resort on Feb. 15 involving NFL player Ray Rice and his then-fiancee Janay Palmer, leaving Palmer knocked out and Rice suspended for the first two games of the season.

Rice and Palmer got married March 28, a day after the Baltimore Ravens running back was indicted on assault charges relating to the altercation.

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been cut from the team

In the video, Rice is seen punching Palmer, who appears to hit her head on a rail support inside the elevator before passing out on the floor. Subsequently, Rice drags his unconscious girlfriend by the upper body out of the elevator, dropping her face down with her legs still between the elevator doors. She remains in that position, her underwear exposed briefly, for several minutes, before she is escorted away after gaining consciousness under the supervision of a man who appears to be a hotel employee.

An NFL investigation resulted in a two-game suspension, which NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell later admitted was insufficient following media backlash about the mild punishment Rice received for a serious domestic violence incident. New Jersey state prosecutors declined to take the case to court after Palmer and Rice chose not to pursue the case further. Rice was instead allowed to enter into a diversionary program designed to rehabilitate him, which upon completion, would result in his charges being dropped.

Now, as the video footage circulates the internet, calls for the NFL to punish Rice even further are growing. Though the NFL has claimed it was unaware of this new video, many critics of how the league handled the investigation, say they are surprised that the NFL wasn't able to obtain the footage, which was available to Rice's defense team, given its extensive resources.

Ray Rice and Janay Palmer are at the center of a Feb. 15 domestic violence incident

There's plenty of blame to be shared by many of the parties involved in the incident, its investigation and ultimate decision regarding Ray Rice's future in the league, but what the NFL needs to do is send a message to its fans, 45 percent of whom are women, that it considers domestic violence a heinous crime deserving of more than the six-game suspension for first-time offenders; a punishment it only resorted to after pressure from fans and media analysts, who noted that the initial two games garnered fewer games than a positive test for marijuana (four games.)

The Baltimore Ravens have taken the lead by cutting Rice, saying the team was unaware of the video or the gravity of the altercation. However, Rice remains eligible to be picked up by another team, though this seems unlikely based on Twitter reactions from players, fans and sports media. One Ravens player said locker room support for Rice has dropped as players have learned that the running back, once one of the team's leaders, lied to them about defending himself.

This idea that Rice may not have been completely truthful to his teammates or the league may be an avenue the NFL should seek in revisiting this case, because it needs to suspend Rice indefinitely, regardless of its version of double jeopardy laws that prevent the league from taking further action after an initial action has been taken.

Many are calling for Rice to be served a lifetime ban, including some players. ESPN analyst Herm Edwards hinted at the likelihood of this while speaking on the case on air. I am of the opinion that everyone deserves another chance eventually, but Rice should not be allowed to play football for at least this season; possibly more.