Ray Rice Breaks Silence: I Have To Stay Strong For My Wife

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has broken his silence after a video of him beating his wife surfaced Monday.

Rice, who was dismissed from his team and indefinitely suspended from the NFL after the video surfaced, told ESPN on Tuesday that he is trying to remain strong for his wife, Janay Palmer.

"I have to be strong for my wife," Rice told the media outlet, adding "[Janay] is so strong. We are in good spirits."

"We have a lot of people praying for us and we'll continue to support each other. I have to be there for [Janay] and my family right now and work through this."

Palmer, who was shown in the video being punched by her husband and becoming unconscious, added in a statement to ESPN: "I love my husband. I support him. I want people to respect our privacy in this family matter."

Palmer has also taken to Instagram to express her criticism for the media following the domestic abuse incident. The wife and mother of Rice's son wrote this week that she believes the media has unnecessarily publicized a personal matter.

"To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific," Palmer wrote.

"THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don't you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels."