A newly circulated video showing Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee drew heightened and widespread outrage Monday, prompting the Ravens to fire the player whose dazzling runs on the field and anti-bullying efforts off it had endeared him to Ravens Nation. 
 
 Rice, 27, had appeared poised to weather the storm that ensued after he was charged with assault for the incident in an Atlantic City, N.J., casino. The Ravens stood behind him, the National Football League punished him with a relatively light two-game suspension, and many fans greeted him warmly at an open practice at M&T Bank Stadium and continued to sport his No. 27 jersey. 
 
 But the video that showed Rice punching now-wife Janay Palmer — in contrast to the previously released clip that showed only the aftermath, with him dragging her out of an elevator — proved shocking in a way that written accounts had not. 
 
 The reaction was swift and harsh. 
 
 By 2:18 p.m., about 10 hours after the website TMZ released the new footage, the Ravens issued a terse statement announcing that Rice's contract had been terminated, a move that will cost the team millions of dollars. Soon thereafter, the NFL suspended the player indefinitely. The league had revised its domestic violence policy last month after outcry over Rice's original penalty. 
 
 The NFL and Nike online stores pulled Rice's jerseys off their sites, as did some brick-and-mortar stores. The three Dick's Sporting Goods stores in the Baltimore area, for example, emptied their racks of Rice gear after receiving an email from corporate headquarters. Smyth Jewelers offered store credit for returned Ray Rice merchandise ranging from $60 to $500, and pledged to make a donation to a domestic violence group matching those amounts. 
 
 All day, condemnation of Ravens and NFL executives scorched the airwaves and social media. Reaction came from all corners, including fans, lawmakers and even the White House. 
 
 "I'd rather lose games without Ray Rice than win games with him," tweeted @lindseyyok, who co-hosts a podcast, Purple Reign. 
 
 Many fans and commentators questioned when the Ravens and the NFL first saw the video taken inside the elevator and whether they were taking harsher action in light of new information or reacting to the uproar. 
 
 NFL officials said they saw the footage for the first time Monday, despite having asked police and prosecutors for all evidence in the case. Ravens coach John Harbaugh also said the team saw it for the first time Monday. 
 
 "It changed things, of course. It made things a little bit different," Harbaugh said in explaining his reaction to the video. 
 
 Meanwhile, fans who previously had been willing to give Rice another chance now said they felt complicit. 
 
 "Seeing the video today was pretty horrific," said state Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat. "It was swept under the rug with the two-game suspension, and seeing [the violence] so clear and present made me feel guilty about the whole situation and withholding judgment in the past." 
 
 Ferguson, who has a 7-week-old daughter, decided to donate the $75 he had paid for his Ray Rice jersey several years ago to the House of Ruth, which advocates for and shelters victims of domestic violence. 
 
 His tweet about the donation resonated with Morgan Meneses-Sheets, a Catonsville mother of two daughters who similarly donated to the nonprofit. Meneses-Sheets said she and her wife bought Ravens and Orioles onesies for their daughters, followed by more team gear as they grew bigger. 
 
 "It's a hard day to be a Ravens fan," she said. "We were proud of them when they brought home the Super Bowl trophy, and as proud as I was that day, I am so ashamed today to call myself a Ravens fan." 
 
 The Ravens announced a new partnership with the House of Ruth on the same day the NFL unveiled its revised domestic violence policy last month. In a statement Monday, the nonprofit thanked the Ravens and NFL for "such a strong stand against intimate partner violence." 
 
 For some, the NFL didn't repair its image with Monday's indefinite suspension of the Ravens player. The original video clip showed Rice pulling the unconscious woman out of the elevator, so they asked why further video evidence was needed. 
 
 "Couldn't they figure that out?" said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, a sports management professor at George Washington University. 
 
 After the first video's release, a police report confirmed that Rice had knocked his fiancee unconscious. But the latest video evidence forced the Ravens and the NFL to take a stronger stance, said Melissa Jacobs, founder of The Football Girl blog. 
 
 "The optics are so powerful," said Jacobs, a former ESPN producer. 
 
 She also wondered why the powerful league couldn't obtain the in-elevator footage when TMZ could. The celebrity news site did not disclose how it got the video. 
 
 "The league and the Ravens are missing a moral backbone," Jacobs said. "Everything has been reactive." 
 
 Some Ravens fans, though, said they remain loyal to the team. 
 
 "I still love my Ravens, I'm just not a fan of Ray Rice anymore," said Cindy Ricci, the team's first female fan to be inducted into the pro football Hall of Fame's "Hall of Fans." 
 
 Ricci plans to "neatly fold" her Rice jersey and add it to a box with those of former Ravens players. "He's still a part of Baltimore Ravens history," she said. 
 
 Rice so dominated the news Monday that politicians put out statements — Gov. Martin O'Malley called the images "horrible, shocking, and reprehensible" — and White House press secretary Josh Earnest fielded a question about the player. Earnest declined to comment on decisions made by "an individual football team" and later released a statement after speaking with President Barack Obama. 
 
 "The President is the father of two daughters. And like any American, he believes that domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society. Hitting a woman is not something a real man does," Earnest said in the statement. "Stopping domestic violence is something that's bigger than football — and all of us have a responsibility to put a stop to it." 
 
 Members of Congress also issued statements backing the Ravens' decision to terminate Rice's contract and denouncing domestic violence. U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said the Ravens "have taken action showing domestic violence will not be tolerated among its players." 
 
 "I support their decision," she said. 
 
 Three of her colleagues from other states had previously written the NFL and the Ravens that they were "appalled" and "dismayed" by the short suspension Rice originally received. The senators then voiced support when league commissioner Roger Goodell said Aug. 28 he erred in leveling that penalty and henceforth imposed a mandatory six-game suspension for first-time domestic violence offenders. 
 
 Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat who was among that vocal group, said in a statement Monday that the "NFL admitted that they did not get it right and this [video] is further, very disturbing proof that they didn't." 
 
 "Shouldn't have taken the NFL and the Ravens this long to do the right thing," tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who wrote to the league and team with Baldwin. 
 
 Other members of the Maryland delegation also weighed in Monday. 
 
 Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger said that with or without "horrifying" video footage, domestic violence "should always be taken seriously, whether by local law enforcement or the NFL." 
 
 "Professional athletes are role models for children, and it's important to send a message that this type of behavior is unacceptable," he said. 
 
 Rice pleaded not guilty in May to one count of third-degree aggravated assault and was accepted into a program for first-time offenders that required him to stay out of trouble and receive counseling with his wife. 
 
 "The case has been adjudicated in court, the court is supervising Mr. Rice in the Pre-Trial Intervention, so there is no revisiting," Jay McKeen, spokesman for the Atlantic County, N.J., prosecutor's office, said in an email. 
 
 Police had said officers viewed the surveillance video before deciding to charge both Rice and Palmer for their respective roles in the incident. Palmer's charges were later dropped, and Rice's were upgraded. 
 
 Prosecutors in Atlantic County declined to answer questions about how the case was handled or what evidence may or may not have been shared with the NFL or the Ravens. 
 
 Rice's attorneys were provided the video through the discovery process that allows defendants to view evidence against them, but prosecutors have declined public information requests from the media for the tape, citing New Jersey law. 
 
 Prosecutor Diane Ruberton told reporters at the time that Rice's plea offer was consistent with those in similar cases. 
 
 Rice's lawyer, Michael Diamondstein, declined to comment Monday. 
 
 A young woman who answered Rice's front door in a quiet, shady cul-de-sac off Dover Road in Reisterstown said, "We're not talking right now." She did not identify herself before shutting the door. 
 
 The faded brick Colonial-style two-story home is mostly hidden from the road by trees. A child's swing set peeks over the top of the backyard fence. Rice and his wife have a daughter named Rayven. 
 
 Neighbors including Dr. Leon Wright called Rice a good neighbor. 
 
 "His character is outstanding. He is a very nice young man," Wright said, but declined to comment about the recent news. Wright said the player was "a very loving father" to Rayven and also "very kind" to the doctor's two kids. 
 
 The uproar over the Rice video came a day after the Ravens lost their season opener to the Bengals, and just days before their nationally televised game Thursday against the Steelers. 
 
 Baltimore Sun reporters Justin Fenton, Jessica Anderson, John Fritze and Colin Campbell contributed to this article. 
 
 jean.marbella@baltsun.com 
 
 yvonne.wenger@baltsun.lcom 
 
 ALSO SEE: 
 
 VIDEO: Harbaugh says Rice video "changed things" 
 
 VIDEO: Ravens cut Ray Rice 
 
 VIDEO: TMZ video shows Rice knocking out fiancee ||||| The NFL players’ union has appealed against Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension. 
 
 Rice was originally handed a two-game suspension in July under the NFL’s personal conduct policy after he was charged with assault following an altercation in February with his then-fiancee in a casino elevator and has been referred to an offender-rehabilitation program. 
 
 The Baltimore running back had already served the first game of that suspension when a video surfaced this month showing Rice apparently knocking out Janay Palmer, now his wife, in the elevator in Atlantic City and dragging her outside into the corridor. 
 
 Within hours, the Ravens released Rice and the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell extended the suspension to indefinite based on the “new evidence.” 
 
 Goodell and the Ravens say they never saw the video before it was released in September. 
 
 “This action taken by our union is to protect the due process rights of all NFL players,” the NFL Players Association said in a statement. “The NFLPA appeal is based on supporting facts that reveal a lack of a fair and impartial process, including the role of the office of the commissioner of the NFL. 
 
 “We have asked that a neutral and jointly selected arbitrator hear this case as the commissioner and his staff will be essential witnesses in the proceeding and thus cannot serve as impartial arbitrators.” 
 
 A hearing date is due to be set within 10 days of the appeal notice. It also said the hearing will require a neutral arbitrator to determine what information was available to the NFL and when it was available. 
 
 A still image taken from a hotel security video shows Rice and his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, in an elevator at the Revel casino in Atlantic City. Photograph: AP 
 
 The union says that under labor law, an employee cannot be punished twice for the same action when all of the relevant facts were available to the employer at the time of the first punishment. 
 
 Goodell, in a letter sent to all 32 NFL owners in August, acknowledged that he “didn’t get it right”. 
 
 He then announced a new policy, stating that first-time domestic violence offenders would face a six-game suspension, and repeat offenders would be suspended indefinitely. 
 
 With all questions about who knew what and when – and the Associated Press has reported the video was sent to NFL offices in April – the league has hired the former FBI director Robert Mueller to look into how the NFL sought and handled evidence in the domestic violence case. 
 
 Rice later defended her husband, accusing the media of exploiting the incident. “To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing,” she said. “To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is a horrific [sic]. THIS IS OUR LIFE! 
 
 “If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels.” 
 
 According to Bloomberg.com, the recent incidents of alleged abuse by American footballers is making the NFL’s sponsors increasingly nervous. 
 
 Anheuser-Busch, the league’s official beer sponsor, said it was “disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season”. 
 
 It added: “We are not yet satisfied with the league’s handling of behaviours that so clearly go against our own company culture and moral code.” 
 
 Another sponsor, McDonald’s, released a statement saying “domestic violence and abuse are unacceptable behaviors and have no place in sports, or anywhere. 
 
 “As a family brand, we’ve communicated our concerns to the league, and we expect it to take strong and necessary actions to address these issues.”
– Thousands of Baltimore Ravens fans swarmed M&T Bank Stadium today to rid themselves of a jersey many now consider tarnished. Though stores have dropped Ray Rice's jersey, the Ravens are offering fans a chance to swap those already purchased for another player's jersey this weekend after a video surfaced that appears to show Rice knocking out his then-fiancee, the Baltimore Sun reports. "I don't want to wear a jersey of someone who did something like that," said a teen who turned out to swap his Rice jersey for one with Justin Tucker's name on it. "What [Rice] did wasn't right." But as fans gather in Baltimore, the NFL Players Association is gathering evidence after Rice appealed his NFL suspension this week as expected. "This action taken by our union is to protect the due process rights of all NFL players," the NFLPA said in a statement, per the Guardian. "The NFLPA appeal is based on supporting facts that reveal a lack of a fair and impartial process, including the role of the office of the commissioner of the NFL." The union argues a player can't be punished twice for the same offense if all evidence was presented initially. A hearing date is to be set within 10 days.