Ray Rice Interview 2014: Wife Janay Rice Says She Was Taught to 'Never Allow Myself to Be Disrespected'
Janay Rice, who was knocked out in an elevator by her then-fiance and former Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice a few months ago -- recently opened up about the elevator incident to ESPN's Jemele Hill.
Earlier this year, TMZ obtained and published raw video footage of the elevator incident which immediately sparked public outrage and prompted the NFL to extend its two-game suspension penalty for Ray to an indefinite suspension.
At the height of the scandal, Janay stood by Ray's side, despite experiencing abuse at the hands of the NFL player, and even went on to marry him the day after he was indicted by the NFL.
When asked why she chose the day after Ray's indictment to get married, Janay explained to Hill that the date of the wedding ceremony was not an intentional decision.
"It just happened to be a Friday and a time when our families could attend our wedding without having to interrupt their work schedules. I didn't understand why that was suspicious to some people," she continued.
Janay also detailed the moments leading up to the elevator attack which occurred on Valentine's Day in Atlantic City.
She explained that she and Rice were heavily intoxicated and were bickering throughout the day. During one of the arguments, Janay claimed that Rice was looking down at his phone and she attempted to grab the phone from him. The phone exchange led to Ray spitting on Janay and she immediately slapped him.
Janay then went on to say that she slapped Ray again in the elevator which prompted him to knock her out cold.
"I can't even say I 'remember' because I only know from what Ray has told me -- is that I slapped him again and then he hit me. I remember nothing else from inside the elevator. The next thing I do recall is being in the casino lobby, surrounded by cops," she said.
Although she was she was seen suffering from domestic violence in the elevator, Janay refuses being labeled as a victim.
"I still find it hard to accept being called a 'victim,'" she admitted. "I'm a strong woman and I come from a strong family. Never in my life have I seen abuse, nor have I seen any woman in my family physically abused. I have always been taught to respect myself and to never allow myself to be disrespected, especially by a man."
In addition to talking with ESPN, Janay has also addressed her side of the elevator incident with NBC's Matt Lauer in an exclusive two-part interview that will air on Dec. 1 and 2.
TMZ reports that NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell recently overturned Ray's indefinite suspension.
Ray Rice is now waiting to get picked up by another NFL team.
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