Of course. But the more you lean on the blackout/gambling/spending side of the problems with the fiancé, the less well Rice comes off. The question becomes when did he exercise worse judgement, hitting her or getting involved with her? So its a caveat that cuts the same way. He (and she) is an idiot.
But the NFL doesn't have the job of fixing Rice's choice of girlfriends. It needs a punishment that hurts more than 2 paychecks. His reported remorse does nothing to explain his unsound judgement.
I am actually more amenable to the idea that Gordon deserved the year because of multiple mis-steps (even if those mis-steps were more about a low threshold than an uncontrollable habit). Perhaps that is correct. But Rice deserves more precisely because this is who he chooses to spend time with. He's not recreational user of wedding buffets and she isn't some random drunk with alcohol-fueled courage.
Does he come off worse? I guess he does, but you're right that it's for bad judgement, not necessarily spousal abuse. I just can't shake the vision of something you posted when this came out
Originally Posted by pbmax
Sounds like a Buster Keaton movie. Door opens, he is punching her. Door closes/opens again, she is punching him. Close/Open, she drags him out. Close/Open, he runs back in, then drags her out.
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Imagine for a moment a world without hypothetical situations...