Conscience Casual Cowboys Should Take a Shot on Ray Rice

If Felix Jones, why not him?  And if Greg Hardy, why not him?

You know, him. As in, yeah, Ray Rice.

I know your initial reaction when I mention the former Baltimore Raven and infamous domestic abuse villain: You cringe and say, “Noooo waaaaay!”

To which I retort, "Whyyyyy nottttttt?" Think about it.

Even though they didn’t draft one, the Cowboys are admitting they still need running back help by entertaining workouts from the likes of re-tread journeymen Felix Jones and Ben Tate on Thursday.

I can argue that Rice is significantly better than any runner on Dallas’ roster, including Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Ryan Williams.

Rice, 28, had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2009-12, made three Pro Bowls and helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl. His accomplishments dwarf the Cowboys’ other backs … combined.

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The other piece to the puzzle is character and class, something Jerry Jones long ago sold down the river in an attempt at another Super Bowl. In a perfect world the Cowboys would be choir boys, but welcome to reality.

Dez Bryant was arrested for a domestic squabble. So too Randle. The Cowboys welcomed back Josh Brent after a prison stint for a DUI accident that killed a teammate. And then there’s Hardy, the Cowboys' prized free agent whose alleged treatment of his former girlfriend is even more heinous than Rice’s infamous elevator scene, only it wasn’t caught on tape.

Rice has reconciled with his wife. He’s completed court-ordered counseling and had his charges dropped. He isn’t suspended by the NFL, and is free to sign with any team. Crazy as it seems because of the notoriety his case received he’d come to the Cowboys with less baggage than Hardy, who is scheduled to be suspended the first 10 games for his episode.

Look, the bar has been lowered. The line has been obliterated. The seal has been broken.

Since the Cowboys clearly don’t care about character, they might as well get the best of the worst.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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