Janay Rice, messenger of domestic abuse

Janay Rice has given people against domestic violence another reason to drop their jaws. It has been a few months since footage surfaced of National Football League running back Ray Rice dragging his unconscious girlfriend out of an elevator, and the incident has sparked heavy outrage both from the situation itself and how the media has handled it. ESPN reporter Stephen A. Smith received a large chunk of criticism for his comments regarding the topic when he implied that women are to blame as they should know better than to provoke an unstable individual. Of course, Smith since cleared up his comments and garnered some forgiveness from fans of the sports news program.

More recently, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as well as the rest of the league were criticized for the punishment given to Rice. While people expected a heavy sentence, Rice was merely given a two game suspension.

And just as the season got underway and the waters started to calm, arose additional footage of the scene inside of the elevator showing Rice viscously punch his girlfriend, knocking her against a railing, rendering her unconscious.

Since then, Rice was released by his team the Baltimore Ravens, and was suspended from playing in the NFL indefinitely.

While changing the minds of the legions of people who had initially disapproved of the punishment, Janay Rice, the victim of the assault, decided not only to defend her boyfriend, but to berate anyone who had taken the side of the NFL and its consequences.

In an instagram post created on Tuesday, Janay Rice defended her husband, proclaiming that the love they share is strong and that they are moving forward with their lives.

But perhaps the more disheartening part of the post would be when she accuses the media of simply wanting to gain ratings off the scandal.

"To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his a** off for all his life just to gain ratings is a horrific [sic]. THIS IS OUR LIFE!," wrote Rice in her post.

Far be it for anyone to judge the love this couple shares, but perhaps Rice shouldn't attempt to ward off the only outlet that can bring light to such a sad epidemic.

Domestic violence is continuously overlooked in today's world due to fear or insecurity, causing many people to only wish for someone to stand up agains it. In a society that hates when celebrities do not get the punishments they may deserve (Bieber fever comes to mind), this post is discouraging to those who fight for the cause.

Because of the "ratings", Rice received the punishment that people continuously ask for, increasing the hope for equal treatment between celebrities and the "average pedestrian."

Of course, this is hardly the harshest punishment Rice could or should have received, and many people still cry for more, but it's a start. It just doesn't help when people like Janay Rice continue to hide from the brutality of domestic violence.

Wherever Janay Rice may be at the moment, she needs to understand that while she may not like people shining a spotlight on her "love" life, there are plenty of women without the luxury of being a celebrity, who have gotten more than punched, that would beg for someone to take notice as to what they're going through.

So before Janay Rice flips her next lid, maybe she should wake up, and take into consideration how other women may feel about domestic violence. This is hardly the last anyone will talk about this topic, and next week we'll discuss just how students, athletes, and coaches may feel about the events. Until then, let the spotlight shine.