Janay Palmer's impassioned defense of her husband, Ray Rice, in the wake of a video showing the NFL football star beating her is a classic case of "battered wife syndrome," according to psychologist Jeffrey Gardere.
"What we're seeing certainly is a 'battered wife syndrome' where you continuously give 100 percent support to the person who has severely beaten you," Gardere said Wednesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
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Palmer lashed out at the media following TMZ Sports' release of a video taken from an elevator security camera in an Atlantic City casino.
An earlier, less graphic video had prompted the NFL to suspend the Baltimore Ravens running back for two games. But with the latest video, which TMZ posted Monday, the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely, and the team voided the final three years of his $35 million contract.
Despite Palmer's fury over the video's release, she deserves sympathy, Gardere said.
"We saw that it was a severe beating. That cannot be excused. However, she has also been embarrassed by this. She's been forced to relive this a million, trillion times over in the media," said Gardere, an assistant professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City.
"This thing is viral, it's all over the planet, and now she has to deal with the embarrassment of that. Not to mention the livelihood of this person who she's dependent on has now been severely compromised.
"There are a lot of people who are trying to demonize her now because she's put supportive words out there for her husband. The fact is that she does love him. I hope he loves her."
He urged the couple to remain in therapy for "many, many, many" years.
"This may be an opportunity for her at some point to take a role of empowerment and work with other women who are victims of domestic violence and make sure what happened to her doesn't happen to them," said Gardere, who is known as "America's psychologist."
"We see these things happen every day. People don't break up for the most part. Hopefully, they get the therapy if they're going to stay together."
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