Dr. Ben Carson has taken flak for saying former NFL player Ray Rice shouldn't be demonized, but he stood by the comments in an appearance on Fox News Channel's
"The O'Reilly Factor" on Thursday.
Carson made the original comments to Newsmax TV's
"Steve Malzberg Show" on Monday.
Editor's Note: Special: Ben Carson's Best-Seller 'One Nation' for $4.95
Bill O'Reilly noted that Carson is a doctor and rightfully wants to heal whatever is wrong with Rice for punching his then-fiancee and leaving her unconscious. But, he added, "Shouldn't we demonize him and others like him to send a message that his can't happen in America, this kind of violence?"
"I'm not sure that demonizing people is ever the right thing to do," Carson responded. "That doesn't mean I don't think that appropriate punishment shouldn’t be given. … There are consequences for bad behavior, but you also need to recognize that these are human beings."
Rice was allowed to enter a program and not serve jail time for hitting Janay Palmer Rice, who has since married the former Baltimore Raven star. The NFL initially suspended Rice for two games, but after a video of the actual assault surfaced this week, the suspension was made indefinite, and the Ravens released Rice from the team.
Carson told O'Reilly he is sympathetic to people who make mistakes.
"I remember as a teenager trying to stab someone," the renowned pediatric neurosurgeon said. "Had it not been for that belt buckle I probably would have been in jail or reform school."
O'Reilly said he understood Carson's empathy, but said he still believes such behavior deserves public scorn.
"I've demonized Osama bin Laden, the ISIS crew. I don't have any sympathy for them," O'Reilly said. "If I were the commander in chief I'd kill as many of them as fast as I could. I don't believe in redemption for those kinds of people at all. Ray Rice, not in that category, but certainly a man who did a terrible, terrible thing."
O'Reilly said Rice's actions were not isolated, adding that domestic violence is "a terrible plague."
"I'm not sure that that's true," Carson countered. "To have a man who is an NFL star who is very, very bulked up…."
That raised O'Reilly's eyebrows.
"Oh, I'm telling you, battery against women in this country and around the world is just out of control, doc. It really is," O'Reilly said.
Carson said he isn't advocating that Rice not be punished.
"What I'm saying is, for someone to do something like that who has everything going for them, it means that there are some real deep psychological issues going on there," he said.
Editor's Note: Special: Ben Carson's Best-Seller 'One Nation' for $4.95
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