Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

In the aftermath of Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension from the NFL, nearly anyone who has ever played with him is being asked what they think of the whole situation. Rice’s former teammate and current Eagle Cary Williams spoke about his thoughts on it, and he’s surprisingly balanced.

When asked if Rice deserves another chance, Williams said, in part:

“I’m a forgiving man. I understand God forgave me, so who am I to point the finger and say, ‘He’s shouldn’t be forgiven for something, a mistake that he’s made.’ I know I’m not perfect. I know Roger Goodell isn’t perfect. He made a mistake and he felt like he needed to change it, and he did it, and felt like he’s making the right decision. That’s him.”

Williams’ next point was perhaps the most widely discussed one of the whole situation, “if TMZ can get [the video], why couldn’t the National Football League get it.” Williams also acknowledged that while he’s being asked about Rice’s situation, he has no bearing on any of it, saying “it doesn’t matter whether I agree with it or I don’t. It is what it is.” Williams’ analysis of the situation gets a little shaky when talking about Rice himself, who — to be fair — he knows personally and cannot seem to face as a man who is an abuser, just as a man who made a mistake:

“I know him as a man, as a teammate, as a friend. What he showed in that tape was not him. I’ve been there. I’ve lost my temper. I’ve said things that I regret. I’ve done things that I regret now. I was granted a second chance at life. I think we should do the same thing with this guy … But I was surprised the incident happened because I know Ray and I know his character, and I know he’s a great character guy. He’s a guy that’s always joking, laughing, caring about the guy next to him. A great teammate. Cared about his community and did great things in the community. For him to make a mistake like that, and be crucified, in my opinion, is terrible. But that’s the world we live in right now. It’s a shame that we’ve got millions of people thinking they’re perfect, and they live the great life, and they’ve done nothing wrong. I understand that hitting a woman is very, very disrespectful and something that I wouldn’t my daughter to go through either, especially the way that went down. But we’ve got to also understand that people make mistakes. I’m not condoning anything that he’s done. But I can’t cast a stone. I’m sinful. I’ve made mistakes. I’m not perfect.”

Whether you agree with the NFL’s indefinite suspension of Rice (I do), or if you think Ray Rice is being crucified (I don’t), Williams does come within the general vicinity of a bigger point here: Ray Rice isn’t the first, last, or only NFL player to be arrested for domestic abuse. In fact, as pointed out on Sidespin, there have been a whole bunch just under Roger Goodell. A broader change has to occur outside of this incident. That is hard to disagree with. But I don’t think Williams’ thoughts that we have “millions of people thinking they’re perfect, and they live the great life, and they’ve done nothing wrong” are correct. What we have, are millions of sports fans, non-sports fans, and indifferent people who watched a man assault his then-fiancee with such force that she left her feet. It’s disgusting. Rice isn’t being crucified as a victim of persecution, he’s finally being appropriately punished — though not by the law — for a horrendous act.

Williams’ opinions on the issue are likely some of the more well-balanced we’re likely to hear from someone who knows Ray Rice as a person… but who Ray Rice is as a person — outside of that elevator — doesn’t matter all that much after we’ve all seen that video.