Fans Wait in Long Lines to Exchange Ray Rice Jerseys

The Baltimore Ravens have done something pretty cool. The NFL team offered fans a chance to exchange their official Ray Rice jerseys for a free new one, after the star player was indefinitely suspended for shocking domestic abuse. Taking the team up on the offer on Friday, hundreds of fans lined up, waiting for hours to trade in the tarnished jersey for a new one. Some reportedly got in line starting at 4 a.m. While they didn't get to pick the number for their new jersey, they were guaranteed something besides 27.

Before this demonstration of decency, disappointment and disgust over the NFL's handling of domestic violence cases has grown. When the Ray Rice incident happened in February, Rice was only suspended for two games by the Ravens. It wasn't until Sept. 8, when TMZ released elevator surveillance footage of him knocking out his fiancée, that the team and league took meaningful action. Since then, more cases have come to light, including child abuse charges against Vikings star Adrian Peterson. On Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell finally addressed the media. While he rebuffed calls to resign, he said, "I got it wrong in the handling of the Ray Rice matter, and I'm sorry for that. But now I will get it right."

While it might be too little too late, these pictures from Baltimore reassure us that many fans are getting it right. At the very least, like the Why I Stayed hashtag on Twitter, this symbolic showing against domestic violence will move the conversation in the right direction.