It took just one grainy clip of surveillance video yesterday to make the start of another NFL season, and Sunday's big comeback win by the Eagles, seem pretty insignificant.
The video, shot in an elevator in the now-closed Revel Casino in Atlantic City, shows what up to that point had only been hinted.
A previous video had depicted Baltimore Ravens' star running back dragging his then-girlfriend - now wife - out of the elevator.
What we didn't know - until yesterday - was what actually happened inside the elevator.
The image is jarring.
Rice and his girlfriend appear to be having an animated conversation when she enters the elevator, and he follows her. She again appears to wave her hand at him.
There is no easy or nice way to depict what happens next.
Rice is seen on the video punching his girlfriend flush on the jaw.
It's a jarring image.
It should be. It should shake the NFL to its core.
Yesterday the Ravens released Rice. He previously had been hit only with a two-game suspension by the league, a move that was widely criticized. The NFL now says Rice, who was scheduled to make $4 million this year, is suspended indefinitely.
Rice, who was charged with felony aggravated assault in the case, entered into a pretrial intervention program back in May. It will allow him to avoid jail time and could lead to the felony charged being erased from his program if he successfully completes the program.
The question now seems to be, as it almost always is, is who knew what and when.
The NFL yesterday said they had not seen the new video until it was released yesterday.
The follow-up question to that is just how hard did they work to discover it.
Everyone knew something happened in that elevator. And everyone knew there was video of Rice dragging his unconscious girlfriend from the elevator. Wouldn't it be logical to think there was video of what happened inside the elevator as well.
Suddenly, the NFL, the Eagles and the glory we heap on these Sunday warriors doesn't seem all that important.
That will be the legacy of Ray Rice. And the power of a single punch.
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