Ray Rice fulfills 20-year promise, earns college degree at 37
Former NFL star Ray Rice has finally earned his college degree, nearly 20 years after leaving Rutgers for the league. The ex-Baltimore Ravens running back returned to campus this week to collect his diploma in labour and employment relations. Rice left Rutgers in 2007 after a record-breaking junior season to enter the NFL Draft. He promised his grandparents he would one day finish his degree—a vow he fulfilled this January, some 6,700 days later. The 37-year-old graduated on Tuesday alongside classmates nearly half his age, taking online courses while balancing family life.
His studies included contract negotiations and the history of hip-hop. For one assignment, Rice wrote a paper on his close friend, rapper Jadakiss. He returned to Rutgers in the fall of 2024 to complete his remaining credits, even sharing virtual classrooms with current Scarlet Knights football players. Rice’s NFL career ended abruptly in 2014 after a domestic violence incident led to his indefinite suspension and release from the Ravens. Before that, he had helped Baltimore win Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. Now married to Janay, with whom he has two children, Rice sent a copy of his diploma to his grandparents as a tribute to his long-awaited achievement.
The degree marks the end of a promise made decades ago. Rice, once a standout athlete, now holds a qualification in labour and employment relations. His return to education closes a chapter that began long before his NFL fame.
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