Jan. 23--Fans leaning over the railing at StubHub Center on Saturday recognized the face of the running back and pleaded for an autograph.
Three-time Pro Bowler Ray Rice was not in uniform -- he was a coach for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl -- but he smiled and happily obliged the fans' requests before warmups began.
"I hope you get back in the league," one yelled after him. "You got railroaded."
Rice, who turned 29 on Friday, has not played in the NFL since the 2013 season. He was indefinitely suspended in September 2014 and then cut by the Baltimore Ravens after the release of video that showed him punching then-fianc饠Janay Palmer and dragging her out of an elevator in Atlantic City, N.J.
Rice married Palmer in March 2014. He won an appeal of his NFL suspension in court in December 2014 and was reinstated, but no team has signed him.
Rice was part of National Team Coach Mike Martz's staff at the Collegiate Bowl, which offers draft-eligible players a chance to work out and play in front of pro scouts as part of the process leading up to the NFL draft.
Rice said he had enjoyed the week working with young players.
"It's been a great experience from the coaching side of it," he told The Times during a brief pregame interview. "It felt great to pick up some Xs and O's, but when I got with the kids it really felt at home for me. Natural."
Rice, who played at Rutgers, rushed for 6,180 yards and scored 43 touchdowns in six seasons with the Ravens and helped them win the Super Bowl in the 2012 season.
Rice said there have been "some difficult days" in being away from football but that he also has benefited from the experience.
