A woman who was knocked unconscious by her husband as he assaulted her in a hotel lift has taken to Instagram to say that social media and news reports about the assault have ruined their lives.
Surveillance video caught Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancée Janay Palmer Rice unconscious, then dragging her out of the lift in a hotel in February. The NFL initially gave Rice a two-game suspension but after the full video appeared online, it terminated his contract. Nike has also ended an endorsement deal with the player.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Janay wrote in an Instagram comment: ‘I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that it’s a reality is a nightmare in itself.’
‘No one knows the pain that media & unwanted [opinions] from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass [off] for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific.’
‘THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don’t you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!’ she wrote.
The comments have led to trending social media hastags #whyileft and #whyistayed in which women have been sharing their experiences with abusive partners.
‘I love my husband. I support him. I want people to respect our privacy in this family matter,’ Janay said in a brief statement to ESPN.
The couple appeared together at a press conference after the video came out in March, during which Janay said: ‘I do deeply regret the role that I played in the incident that night, but I can say that I am happy that we continued to work through it together.’ They said they had been through marriage counseling.
The full video reportedly shows the pair shouting at each other, and her spitting on her husband before he beat her. It also shows hotel staff asking the player if Janay was drunk and saying they wouldn’t call the police.
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.