Ray Rice, cut in 2014, honored by Ravens as 'Legend of the Game'

BALTIMORE -- Former running back Ray Rice received a standing ovation from a large portion of the M&T Bank Stadium crowd Sunday when he was recognized as a " Ravens Legend of the Game."

It marked the first time that Rice had been honored since the Ravens cut him in September 2014 following a domestic violence incident that February in which he was captured on videos punching, kicking and dragging Janay, who was then his fiancée and is now his wife, from an Atlantic City, New Jersey, elevator.

Walking out of the tunnel Sunday with his son and daughter, Rice pointed at his flexed left biceps before pounding his fist against his heart.

"This as big as winning the Super Bowl for me," Rice said during a pregame show on the Ravens' website. "I'm just overly thankful."

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Rice, 36, has been involved with the team over the years, speaking to rookies about the importance of professionalism and accountability. He did not appear in another NFL game after the Ravens cut him.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Rice was a key member of the Ravens' Super Bowl run in 2012. He still ranks as the franchise's career leader in all-purpose yards (9,377).