Ravens brought in former star Ray Rice to speak to team’s rookies

The Baltimore Ravens supported Ray Rice after his domestic violence incident in Atlantic City two years ago, until the infamous video of Rice punching his then-fiancee (now his wife) was published. Then the team cut him.

it seemed like the team cut him somewhat reluctantly, however, because the pressure was too great to keep him. An ESPN report said owner Steve Bisciotti texted Rice after he was cut, telling Rice he could have a job with the Ravens “helping young guys getting acclimated to the league.”

And even though the entire ordeal was a stain on Rice, the Ravens and the NFL, less than two years after the video surfaced and Rice was cut, the team brought Rice back to talk to the team’s rookies.

“Our 27 sessions to our rookies through our player engagement program review and teach life management and life lessons,” the team said in a statement on its Twitter page. “Rice, who played for the Ravens from 2008-2014, delivered an important message that included his story, both the good and the bad. He clearly had the attention of our rookies.“

Although Rice has lobbied repeatedly for another NFL chance, he hasn’t been signed since the Ravens cut him in September of 2014 and another chance to play looks unlikely. Rice turned 29 in January. His last NFL game was Dec. 29, 2013, at the end of a down season for him. He was released nearly 21 months ago and no team has signed him, and there’s no reason to believe that will change soon.

Maybe Rice’s meeting with the Ravens was the first step in him rejoining the organization in a non-playing role, as Bisciotti reportedly promised him. That would generate some controversy, but it’s hard to argue that Rice doesn’t have an important message to tell young players, and perhaps telling his story will help prevent another horrible situation.

It’s a little unusual that Rice is back helping out the Ravens, but clearly the team saw the value in him telling his story to its newest players.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab