Obama on Ray Rice: Hitting a Woman 'Not Something a Real Man Does'

On Monday evening, President Barack Obama said that “hitting a woman is not something a real man does” in response to the video of Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an elevator. 

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, who was asked about the video during a press briefing, released a statement in the evening. During the press briefing, the Ravens cut Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely.

“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,” Earnest said in a statement. “Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that’s true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors. Stopping domestic violence is something that’s bigger than football, and all of us have a responsibility to put a stop to it.”