Intro:

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice talked publicly on Thursday (31 July) for the first time since his two-game suspension by the NFL for domestic violence.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens Running Back:

"If anybody knows me, they know I was raised by a single parent, and that was my mother. And, you know, to sit here today and replay the things my mom raised me to be, you know, I let her down, I let my wife down, I let my daughter down. I let my wife's parents down. I let the whole Baltimore community down. And I got my team-mates here supporting me, I let my team-mates down. I let so many people down because of 30 seconds of my life that I know I can't take back, but, speaking on that part, what I've done going forward, I'm a man to say that I needed help, and one thing I realised was that I'm not afraid to ask for help. And just touch on something, last time I didn't publicly apologise to my wife. And, you know, I realise that hit home with a lot of people, but there's many nights that me and my wife sleep together, and we still have to deal with this. And her pain is my pain, my pain is her pain. But one thing I wanted to do today was apologise to my wife, who I've known since high school. I've know her since a kid. You know I met her in high school, and she's the same girl now that she is... great mother, she's a great wife, and she supports me throughout."