After Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in September for punching his then-fiancee and now-wife Janay Rice in the face and knocking her unconscious, the league went to work on revamping its domestic abuse policy. In addition to heavier consequences for players, the NFL worked up the No More advertising campaign, which has been running commercials about domestic violence ever since. The league recently shared its powerful Super Bowl PSA spot, and it is chilling.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ad is based on an actual 911 call. A woman contacts the police off camera as footage shows a house in disarray. The officer on the other line asks for the nature of the emergency and the woman answers back that she would like to order a pizza. That part may seem amusing to an unknowing viewer, until the scenes around the house get worse and the officer starts to pick up on why the caller cannot speak candidly.
"When it's hard to talk, it's up to us to listen," the screen reads after the phone call ends.
Watch the extended spot below. A 30-second version will run during the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIX Sunday, Feb. 1.
"We hope this No More PSA will bring Americans together -- on a day families and friends spend together -- in the effort to end domestic violence and sexual assault," Virginia Witt, director of No More, told Rolling Stone.
Rice received a two-game suspension initially before TMZ shared video footage of the athlete physically assaulting his partner and dragging her body out of an elevator in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in February 2014. The Ravens terminated Rice's contract and the NFL handed down another suspension. Public criticism of the league followed for how the whole ordeal was handled.
The running back appealed his suspension in November and won, allowing him to sign with any team that will have him.
