Former NFL Running Back Ray Rice in Dallas to Discuss Domestic Abuse

When you think about the kind of person who would speak at a forum on domestic violence, Ray Rice might not come to mind. But that's exactly what the former NFL star was doing in Dallas Wednesday.

Rice served on a panel discussing solutions to end domestic violence and sexual assault on college campuses, two years after he made headlines around the world when video of the Super Bowl winner knocking his then-fiancee Janay Palmer unconscious was made public.

"My worst night was on video. I'm in situation where I have nothing to hide and I'm in a situation where I can be fully transparent," Rice said.

The event was hosted by the Big XII conference, which is still reeling from the Baylor University sexual assault scandal.

Rice's participation raised some eyebrows, but he said his experience and what he has learned from it need to be shared with athletes across the country.

"I want to help as many people as I can – as many kids as I can – to, number one, understand what domestic violence. Number two, never commit the act. I think that my message can go a long way," he said.

Seated on stage next to Rice was Brenda Tracy. In 1998 Tracy brought charges against two collegiate football players, accusing them of rape. The district attorney did not prosecute the case. While the optics of an abuse victim sitting next to an abuser was odd, she said Rice, who continues to take full responsibility for his actions, should be a part of the conversation.

"We have to kind of get into his mind and his mindset so we can figure out how we help these men and how you stop this," Tracy said. "I go to a campus and I talk about my experience and I humanize the issue and people are affected. So, I would imagine that people are also affected by his story too."

Since leaving the NFL, Rice has gone across the country, sharing his message with high school and college athletes. Paige Flink, CEO of the Family Place – an advocacy and support organization for victims of family violence – says Rice can be an asset in the fight to end domestic abuse.

"If his motives are good and there's something that he can say to a young man that someone else couldn't, I think that's important," Flink said. "He was held accountable. He lost his career because of his behavior. He needs to be able to say, 'I did it. I paid the price, and now here's how you cannot be me.'"

Rice said speaking publicly is also helping him prepare for the day he has to tell his young son and daughter what he did to their mother.

"A value I think I can really add is realness, everything I've been through," Rice said.