Ray Rice Wants a Second Chance in NFL; Pope, Religious Leaders Sign Anti-Slavery Pact; Boehner Holds Weekly Press Conference
COSTELLO: Domestic violence in sports will take center stage on Capitol Hill later today as yet another panel holds a hearing, this time in the senate. This morning, the man whose name and face many have come to associate with sports and domestic violence opened up about the now infamous elevator video that showed him knocking out the woman he later married. Now Ray Rice is asking for a second chance to play in the NFL. He's been cleared to return but no team has picked him up. Not yet. Here's what he told the "Today" show.</s>MATT LAUER, MSNBC HOST: What do you think it would take for another owner and another group of fans to put the images of that video behind and say "we'll take a chance on Ray Rice"?</s>RAY RICE, NFL PLAYER: One thing I think that they would have to be willing to, you know, look deeper into who I am and realize that me and my wife had one bad night and I took full responsibility for it. And one thing about my punishment and everything going along with anything that happened is that I've accepted it, I went fully forward with it, I never complained or did anything like that. I took full responsibility for everything I did and the only thing I can hope for and wish for is a second chance.</s>COSTELLO: All right. Let's talk about that. Joining me now CEO of Genesis Women's Shelter and Support in Dallas, Jan Langbein; and Marvet Britto, a PR and brand strategist and the president and CEO of the Britto Agency. Welcome to both of you.</s>MARVET BRITTO, BRITTO AGENCY: Thank you, Carol.</s>JAN LANGBEIN, GENESIS WOMEN'S SHELTER: Thank you, Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Marvet and I were talking in the break, Jan and Marvet was wonder and I think thought it was a good question. If indeed if this was a one-time event, does that constitute domestic violence?</s>LANGBEIN: It does. The assault, there's no question that the assault happened. But most violent relationships are not isolated incidents. We find there is a cycle of behavior where there is tension that builds, an assault that happens but a honeymoon period that follows, a period of promises and hope that there will be change. What that means, however, is that it will cycle back through the tension building, the assault, the honeymoon again and again and again. Where there is no accountability, we see where there has been abuse, it will happen again. It will increase in frequency and often in severity.</s>COSTELLO: Some might say that Ray Rice, you know, he's paid a price. Some might think it wasn't a high enough price but he's probably not going to play football this year, right? Maybe he won't next year. But he wants to be reinstated. In your line of work because you've met many domestic abusers, do most of them return to their careers?</s>LANGBEIN: Absolutely. Very few abusive people lose their jobs. What we find is that there are some companies, there are some corporations like Mary Kaye, Inc. or Verizon that have a corporate zero tolerance policy but most businesses, most employers do not hold accountable perpetrators of violence. What we do find, however, is that the majority of those who lose their jobs are the victims themselves because of absenteeism or lost productivity or just the dangerous environment that's created around the abuse by the abuser that it's actually the victims that lose their jobs permanently.</s>COSTELLO: But look, Jan, in your mind, should Ray Rice get his football career back?</s>LANGBEIN: You know I want to hope that this won't happen again in that family. I want to hope that this is not just a honeymoon period for them. We see, however, that many times the first reported incident of violence, the first public incident, is not the first incident. My hope for that family is that there is healing but only they can tell.</s>COSTELLO: Just a last question because Marvet and I were also discussing this. We had a long conversation in, like, 60 seconds. In Janay Rice's own words, what started this terrible fight that night was they were arguing over something stupid, both of them were drunk and Ray Rice spit on her and then she slapped him. Now, I've never been spit on by anyone so it's hard to believe that this is a one time event. Just because of that in my mind.</s>LANGBEIN: Well, again, I can't speak to this couple but I have to say that normal people don't spit on other people. And when you -- if he had been a victim of the abuse, he could walk away. He could walk away. That elevator punch never had to happen and that's what the message is, is the accountability for perpetrators of domestic violence. We've started some great conversations in this country because of this particular case. But we're not through.</s>COSTELLO: Ok, on to you, Marvet. You're a PR and brand strategist and Ray Rice appears -- it appears that he's very sorry and wants to start his life anew and set a new example for people. And you see the interview took place in the kitchen and Janay's parents, you know, they were beside the couple. So in your mind as people watch him on the "Today" show, are they receptive to what he's saying?</s>BRITTO: I believe that they are. I believe that he struck a common chord in that interview. It was sincere. It was heartfelt. And I think that we have to remember that the road to redemption for many people is rooted in the fact that we are all one bad decision away from a life-changing mistake. I think that that common ground is what allows the public to forgive. And I do believe that we saw a very humble, a very sincere Ray Rice. We also saw her family stand with Ray Rice. I think that that was important for us to see. I do believe that fans will look past this infraction. They won't forget it but I do believe he has a right to earn a living and I do believe that this is a teachable moment. I do think that his wife will emerge. And what I liked most about the interview, what I respected about them is that they didn't immediately stand to become the poster child for domestic violence. They said we want to take time, we want to heal, we want our wellness to be first and then we can emerge and be advocates and champions for this serious issue.</s>COSTELLO: In other words, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to just jump in and say, you know, "I'm going to be supportive of domestic violence shelters or work with battered women" or anything like that.</s>BRITTO: It would seem insincere. His interview was not scripted, it was genuine. It was a genuine apology. He also spoke to being prepped for his Baltimore Ravens press conference which we all know working in the field that that happens. The interview with Matt Lauer was not prepped, it was a sincere interview. And I do think that he should be given an opportunity to come back. What he did was not right and what he did was disrespectful and what he did should never happen to any woman or any human being but I do believe that we all do make mistake and we need to remember that we are imperfect people. So I think if we all really realize that basis then we can allow this young man the road to redemption like we would all hope we would be granted.</s>COSTELLO: Like I said I'm so torn about this. Honestly I don't know what to think.</s>BRITTO: It's difficult.</s>COSTELLO: It is difficult. Thanks to you both for your insight. It was fabulous to hear from both of you. Jan Langbein, Marvet Britto. Multi-faith leaders united in the fight against modern slavery -- Anglican, Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu leaders joining Pope Francis at the Vatican today. They signed an agreement aiming to eliminate modern slavery and human trafficking by the year 2020. CNN's Christiane Amanpour was able to ask the pope a question on why this issue so important to him. Christiane joins us now from Rome to tell us more. Hi, Christiane.</s>CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol, I couldn't help but listen to your previous conversation? Do you know what we heard here from anti-slavery activists? That one of the leading causes for people to be so battered is to be susceptible to traffic and slavery is domestic abuse and domestic violence. I find that extraordinary in light of the conversation you've just had. One of the most alarmingly fast rising ways of sexual -- of slavery is sexual trafficking. The pope here hosted an unprecedented number of major world religious leaders to make an unprecedented signing to try to end this scourge. And I moderated the panel and I asked him what it was that motivated this passion on his part.</s>AMANPOUR: Holy Father, you played a key role in establishing the global freedom network. You were the first person to call modern slavery and human trafficking a crime against humanity. As you appeal for this scourge to be eradicated once and for all, tell us what exactly motivated your passion about this particular scourge?</s>POPE FRANCIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): On behalf of all of us and our beliefs and (inaudible), we declare that human slavery in terms of prostitution, organ exploitation and also human trafficking is a crime against humanity. The victims come from all walks of life but most times they are the poorest and the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters. This situation is unfortunately becoming worse and worse everyday. I call upon all people in faith and their leaders and the governments and the companies. I call all men and women of good will to provide their strong support and join this movement against modern slavery in all its forms.</s>AMANPOUR: Now, according to the organization that put this on, there are something like 36 million slaves around the world. And not just in the ordinary usual suspect corners of the world but also in the United States, in England, here in Italy and around Europe. There are tens of thousands of them. Most are in China and in India, but it is something now that world leaders say they really do have to tackle. And to wit there are a lot of conferences sort of spreading from the pope's desire to really make this summit ripple and have some effect -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Christiane Amanpour reporting live from Rome this morning. Thanks so much -- Christiane. I want to take you back to Capitol Hill now because, oh, just about 10 or 15 minutes ago House Speaker John Boehner held his weekly press conference. He talked about immigration and he talked about, you know, funding for the government for another year and he talked about how the President should not have instituted that executive order on immigration. Dana bash was covering that presser. She joins us now with more. Hi, Dana.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. And all of those things that you just mentioned, they don't sound like they should interact with one another and that they should depend on the other but they actually do and here's why. The government runs out of money in just nine days on December 11, unless Congress passes legislation to keep the government running. And there has been a lot of pressure from some of the more conservative groups, outside groups, really, on Republicans here in Congress to use their power of the purse to try to choke funding for the departments and the government that will be responsible for implementing the President's immigration executive order. However, what you heard the House Speaker say in a way that wasn't necessarily intended to give us all a sound bite but it was very clear from the reporting about what happened in a meeting that he just had this morning is that he made clear to his rank-and-file Republicans that they are not going to go along with that strategy because he didn't use these words, I'm told, but they all know, it could lead to another government shutdown. That really appears to be off the table even from some of the most conservative members of the House Republican caucus, Carol, who we talked to in these hallways. Just real briefly, what their plan seems to be is to fund the entire government for a year except for the Department of Homeland Security and just have kind of a stopgap for a few months on that to give them time to figure out if they can do anything with regard to funding to beat back the President's immigration executive order. But the bottom line is that most Republicans say it is going to be very, very tough. The President has them in a box. Very tough to do anything with the power of the purse to stop the President from giving what amounts to legal status for about five million people in this country.</s>COSTELLO: All right, Dana Bash reporting live from Capitol Hill. Thanks so much. I'll be right back.