NFL News: Ray Rice Admits Mistake, Issues Public Apology

Speaking publicly for the first time since being arrested last February 15, Ray Rice was a picture of regret, admission, and remorse.

Facing the media in a span of almost twenty minutes, Rice described his legal predicament as "the biggest mistake of my life". He is facing charges for a domestic violence committed against his then-fiancee Janay Palmer in New Jersey. Rice is undergoing a diversion program upon completion of which will be able to admonish him of the charges.

''My actions that night were totally inexcusable,'' said Rice per Yahoo! Sports, "'My daughter is 2 years old now. One day she's going to know the power of Google. Me having to explain that to her, what happened that night, that's something I have to live with the rest of my life.''

The incident was highly covered by the media due to a CCTV footage that captured Rice dragging Palmer from an elevator in Atlantic City. He no longer delved into the details of the incident and accepted full responsibilities for his erring actions. What blew the instance into the limelight is the perceived very light punishment the National Football League meted out to Rice. The NFL ordered that the Baltimore Ravens running back be suspended for two games and pay a fine of more than $500,000.

Several thinking minds chipped in that a battery assault on a woman would be punished lightly by the league as compared to drug use, DUIs and other types of misdemeanor. Rice no longer addressed the query of the media if he thought the penalties were not severe but remarked that he would have accepted any punishment given the by league.

The 27-year-old Ravens player is also the team's career leader in total scrimmage yards. The presence of several of his teammates during the press conference also showed how much they support their embattled ward.

''I've known Ray for a while. He's a great guy,'' linebacker Elvis Dumervil said. ''We're all human, we all make mistakes.''