Jersey Lawmakers Call for Review of Ray Rice Case

New Jersey lawmakers are calling for a review of a prosecutor’s actions — and possibly changes to state law — to discover why suspended NFL player Ray Rice was shown leniency despite video showing the viciousness of his attack on his then-fiancée. The video was released to the public this week by TMZ.

Rice entered a “pre-trial intervention” program after the incident, allowing him to avoid charges and eventually to expunge his record of the arrest. The process must have the approval of a judge, and Atlantic County prosecutors say Rice was treated no differently from other first-time offenders.

The Courier-Post reports that Senate President Stephen Sweeney “asked Acting Attorney General John Hoffman ‘to look at the law itself to see if it should be re-written or revised. This should include a review of who qualifies for PTI and when it is allowed.’”

Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera, D-Gloucester Township, has called for a similar review.

“After seeing this very graphic video of the events that had previously been reported, it’s all the more puzzling as to how the county prosecutor reached a decision that pre-trial intervention was the appropriate course of discipline in this case. It’s confounding, actually,” she said after the video became public Monday.

“At the very least, it can’t hurt to start a constructive dialogue on whether we should set parameters for who is eligible for this (PTI) program, particularly when it comes to violent offenders,” Mosquera said.

Rice entered the PTI program in May. He is currently indefinitely suspended from the NFL.