If supporters of the Baltimore Ravens had any doubts about head coach John Harbaugh’s talent scouting ability prior to his first NFL Draft, they felt much better after the team’s first two selections.
Harbaugh and the Ravens selected Joe Flacco as the 18th pick in the first round of the 2008 draft and Ray Rice, a 5 foot, 8 inches all-American running back from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, with a second-round pick. The tandem guided the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013 after leading the team to five playoff appearances in six years.
After a video of Rice punching his fiancee was posted online, the partnership terminated early in the 2014 season. What does the two-time All-Pro running back do now, more than six years after his final NFL carry?
Ray Rice Was a Terrific Running Back
Ray Rice’s height of 5 feet, and 8 inches was short by NFL standards for running backs. Rice’s tiny stature did not hinder his success at Rutgers, as he broke the majority of the program’s rushing records and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting in 2006.
Instead of staying at Rutgers for his senior year, Rice declared for the 2008 NFL Draft and joined the Baltimore Ravens alongside former Miami Hurricanes standout Willis McGahee, another former Heisman Trophy candidate.
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Rice made an immediate impact at the professional level. As a rookie, he averaged 4.2 yards per carry on 1b07 carries and caught 33 catches before becoming the starting running back for the Ravens in 2009.
From that point on, Ray Rice was an indispensable weapon in both the running and passing games. From 2009 to 2b012, Rice averaged 70 receptions for 610 yards and over 1,000 yards rushing annually.
During the Super Bowl run of the Baltimore Ravens in late 201b2 and early 2013, Rice rushed for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Despite Rice’s decline in 2013 to 660 yards on 3.1 yards per run, there was anticipation that Rice, still only 27 years old, would rebound in 2014.
Legal Issues Ended Rice’s Career Ended Prematurely
Ray Rice would not have a comeback story. Rice was suspended for the first two games of the 2014 season after he and his fiancee were detained at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, per SB Nation. Rice was charged with third-degree aggravated assault, but the charges were dismissed after he agreed to attend counseling.
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The Baltimore Ravens released Rice on September 8, 2014, after the assault footage was posted by TMZ. Rice was also suspended permanently, but he appealed because the NFL broke league regulations by banning him twice for the same infraction. Rice won his appeal and as recently as 2016 intended to return to the NFL. Nonetheless, by 2018, Ray Rice saw the writing on the wall and declared his retirement.
What is Ray Rice Doing Now?
SB Nation reports that Ray Rice coached for the NFLPA collegiate bowl in 2016, marking his first return to the NFL since his 2014 suspension.
According to Lohud, once Rice officially retired from the NFL, he returned to his hometown of New Rochelle, New York, and volunteered for his former high school’s football team. In 2017, Rice was named the running backs coach for the New Rochelle Huguenots, one of the state’s premier high school football programs.
With Rice’s assistance, New Rochelle went undefeated in football in 2019 and won the Class AA state championship. According to Celebrity Net Worth, despite no longer playing professionally, Ray Rice has a net worth of $13 million.
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