Ray Rice: "I apologize for the horrible mistake I made"

This Sunday will mark the one-year anniversary of former Ravens star Ray Rice being arrested for hitting his then-fiancee. At the time, the incident was called "a very minor physical altercation."

But the incident spiraled into a full-blown crisis for Rice and the NFL last September when video surfaced showing Rice knocking out Janay Palmer in an Atlantic City elevator. Rice was soon released by the Ravens and banned indefinitely by the NFL.

In November, he was reinstated into the league and the 28-year-old free agent is now trying to resurrect his career.

On Friday, Rice issued a statement to the Baltimore Sun, thanking the fans and team, and apologizing for the "horrible mistake I made."

Rice plans to leave Maryland and move back to his home state of New York, sources told the Sun.

Here is Rice'e full statement, via the Sun:

Dear Baltimore,

This is not a farewell or goodbye. The last seven years that my family and I have spent in Baltimore have by far been the best of our lives. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for the love and support you've shown my family and I throughout my football career. We'll always be grateful for the love we've received from all of our fans and supporters, and for winning a Super Bowl. To all the kids who looked up to me, I'm truly sorry for letting you down, but I hope it's helped you learn that one bad decision can turn your dream into a nightmare. There is no excuse for domestic violence, and I apologize for the horrible mistake I made. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and I hope to make a positive difference in people's lives by raising awareness of this issue. Thank you, Baltimore Ravens, for all you have done for my family and I. I'm very grateful to Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome, John Harbaugh, and everyone at 1 Winning Drive. I love you all very much, and I'll always be proud to say I played for the Baltimore Ravens.

Thank you.

-- Ray Rice