Recently, Ray Rice has managed to finally settle his score with the Baltimore Ravens, after a prolonged legal ordeal which drew a lot of media attention, both to him and the team. The player wasn’t seeking a reinstatement on the team, but rather compensation for his work which he claimed he was duly owned but never received. Previously, Rice filed a grievance with the NFL through the NFLPA, fighting the League’s decision to have him indefinitely suspended, and he was successful with that move.
Now, his second grievance, the one he filed against the Ravens, has also come to an end, and though the official final result wasn’t made public directly, it can be safely assumed that Rice was awarded some sort of compensation. The exact amount is up for debate of course, though it’s very likely he didn’t get the full $3,53 million that he was originally asking for. The amount that has been paid will likely be kept confidential, as the parties involved in the case have the full legal right to do so.
The question for many fans now is what will happen to Rice’s career from this point on. He doesn’t really have any team right now, and his career has been largely on the line since the incidents that he has been going through recently. He’s still relatively young, and has at least a few good years of playing in his future – however, at this point, it’s questionable whether any serious team would consider taking him on board, given his recent past.
Some publications have been calling him “toxic” in his current situation, and have been pointing out that any new contract with a team could put that team at risk of receiving negative media attention, and potentially even losing sponsorships. Of course, that depends on the stance of fans as well, as despite the recent problems, many have been supportive of Ray Rice, and he still seems to have a relatively large following. That’s not so surprising after all, as many sports stars tend to be popular based on their performance alone, and external factors like those court cases are usually largely irrelevant.
In the end, most have been skeptical about his future in the NFL, and many seem to be convinced that he will not be playing again. It remains to be seen whether this is the case or not, but if he doesn’t announce a contract with any prominent team soon enough, that might very well be the end of his career. A lot of eyes have been firmly fixed on the player for this precise reason, as many are waiting to see if something will be announced for his career soon.