Baltimore Ravens Player Speaks About Janay Rice’s Revictimization

By Jamilah King Sep 09, 2014

Baltimore Ravens defensive back Chris Canty had one of the more powerful statements on violence against women when he spoke to the media following Ray Rice’s dismissal from the team.

"I was in shock," Canty said when he first saw the video. "My first thoughts were, ‘I don’t think it’s appropriate to show it on television.’ You have to think of the victim, Janay, in this situation. To force her to re-live that physical and emotional abuse is wrong, it’s absolutely wrong, and some media outlets have chosen to air it regardless of her feelings. I’m not sure if they reached out for her consent, but it’s wrong."

Read more and watch video on NFL.com.

Dave Zirin wrote at The Nation about the problem with re-playing Janay Rice’s assault in the media:

No one cares that she is now going to have to relive this incident over and over again. No one cares that the world has now become privy to what may be the most humiliating moment of her entire life. No one cares that she’s basically now being used as a soapbox with otherwise apolitical NFL commentators using her prone body to get on their high horse and safely blast the league. There is video, and those who never raised their voice publicly about the axis of domestic violence and the NFL before are now bellowing the loudest.

Read more at The Nation.