Where Is Former Baltimore Ravens Star Ray Rice Now?
If Baltimore Ravens fans had any concerns about head coach John Harbaugh’s eye for talent entering his first NFL draft, they felt better after the team’s first two selections. Harbaugh and the Ravens picked Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco as the 18th pick of the 2008 draft. Then, they used a second-round pick on Ray Rice, a 5-foot-8 All-American running back from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Flacco and Rice helped the Ravens to five playoff appearances in six years and led the team to become Super Bowl XLVII champions in February 2013. Unfortunately, the partnership ended early in the 2014 season after a video of Rice assaulting his fiancee was leaked onto the internet.
Over six years after Rice’s final carry as an NFL player, what is the two-time All-Pro running back doing now?
Ray Rice was a terrific running back
At only 5 feet, 8 inches, Ray Rice was tiny by NFL running back standards. However, Rice’s diminutive size didn’t stop him from thriving at Rutgers, where he shattered most of the program’s rushing records and finished seventh in the 2006 Heisman Trophy voting.
Rather than stay at Rutgers for his senior season, Rice declared for the 2008 NFL Draft. He joined the Baltimore Ravens as part of a 1-2 punch with another one-time Heisman Trophy candidate, ex-Miami Hurricanes star Willis McGahee.
Rice didn’t need long to make an impact at the pro level. He averaged 4.2 yards per attempt on 107 carries and caught 33 passes as a rookie. Then, he became the Ravens’ starting running back in 2009. From there, Rice was an essential weapon both on the ground and in the passing game. Rice ran for over 1,000 yards every year from 2009-12 and averaged 70 catches for 610 yards each year.
During the Baltimore Raven’s Super Bowl run in late 2012 and early 2013, Rice ran for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Although Rice slumped to just 660 yards on 3.1 yards per carry in 2013, there was optimism that Rice, still only 27, could bounce back in 2014.
Legal issues ended Rice’s career ended prematurely
There would be no comeback story for Rice. According to SB Nation, Rice was suspended for two games at the start of the 2014 season after he and his fiancee were arrested at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Rice was indicted on third-degree aggravated assault, but the charges were dropped after Rice agreed to counseling.
The Baltimore Ravens released Rice on Sept. 8, 2014, after TMZ publicly leaked the assault video. Rice was also suspended indefinitely, although he appealed the suspension because the NFL violated league rules by suspending him twice for the same offense. Rice won his appeal and hoped to return to the NFL as recently as 2016. However, by 2018, Rice saw the writing on the wall and officially announced his career was over.
What is Ray Rice doing now?
According to SB Nation, Ray Rice coached for the NFLPA collegiate bowl in 2016 as his first return to the NFL after his 2014 suspension. Later, after officially retiring from the NFL, he returned to his hometown of New Rochelle, New York, when his NFL career ended and volunteered for his former high school’s football team, according to Lohud.
Rice was named New Rochelle Huguenots’ running backs coach in 2017 and has remained on staff for one of the state’s top high school football programs. With Rice’s help, New Rochelle went 13-0 in 2019 and won the Class AA state football championship. Additionally, despite no longer playing professionally, Rice has a net worth of $13 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
