Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens running back, pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault after security camera footage revealed he and his then-fiancée allegedly assaulting each other in an Atlantic City casino elevator in February.
Rice is likely to avoid jail time after prosecutors offered him a plea bargain that includes probation and anger management counseling,
ESPN reports. He has also applied for a New Jersey intervention program that allows first-time offenders a case dismissal if they agree to counseling.
His wife, Janay Palmer, and he were married one day after their alleged altercation, and she accompanied him to the short hearing on Thursday.
"He's ashamed of his conduct and he's sorry for what he did,"
attorney Michael Diamondstein told reporters from The Associated Press outside the courthouse. "There was a disagreement between him and his wife. He made a mistake. He loves Janay and wants to move forward. This was a momentary lapse of reason."
Both were originally charged with simple assault, but a grand jury later dropped the case against Palmer and leveled a more serious third-degree charge against Rice.
TMZ released footage it obtained that showed Rice and Palmer on the night in question. He is shown attempting to carry her limp body out of the elevator as she falls to the ground several times.
Prosecutor Diane Ruberton said they've obtained additional video footage not published by TMZ that made her "confident" she "could secure a conviction" should the case go to trial.
It is still unclear what penalties and sanctions if any the Ravens or the NFL might bring against Rice. A conviction is not required for many of them.
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