Did the NFL go too far with Ray Rice?

Another thing to consider: if any of US were found to have committed domestic abuse, we would be out of the military so fast our head would spin.....

I believe there was a big failure of the justice system. She did assault him by spitting then punching him. By no means is that a excuses for his actions. But both should have been prosecuted for domestic abuse.

First of all, let's be real about this situation. Rice knocked his wife out cold. If a military member had done the same - I am betting no two commands would have handled the issue the same without the camera evidence. Without the camera evidence, when dealing with enlisted, the chances are the punishment would have been closer between any two commands than when compared to what an officer would have received - at least in my experience both on AD and retired. I can tell you that I have been in the room when enlisted personnel were kicked out of the military for a single event (slapping the wife) and not two days later a senior officer was fined for a third event that sent his wife to the hospital for 3 days.

With camera evidence, all pretense of "he said, she said" ends. In the video you see the intensity of the blow and the callous behavior by both Rice and the initial hotel staff that met them at the elevator.

Did the NFL overreact? NO. The pendelum of public opinion is swinging to the victims favor as I write. In well documented situations, such as what is shown in the Rice videos, justice and punishment must be brutal and swift.