I’m as sympathetic as the next guy. I like to think there is good in just about everyone. As I grow older, I am more forgiving and am able to let things slide. Whew. It only took me about a half century to get to this place.

However, sometimes in life, I like to use my catchphrase “tough.” It basically means “too bad.” There are times it’s necessary, I’m afraid. Last week, we heard two separate news stories about Ray Rice getting in trouble for “punching” his girlfriend. At first, the Baltimore Ravens running back was just going to be suspended for a couple of games. After everyone threw a fit about the whole thing, he was fired.

I will say I read several articles about the whole mess. His girlfriend, now his wife (“Can you believe the fool married him?” I heard one lady on TV say) is standing behind him. He has said things like “I made a terrible mistake and I need to own what I did.” Early on, he mentioned it would hurt him terribly not to play the first couple of games with his team mates. Now, he won’t be playing at all.

On one news report, I watched Ray Rice at a press conference. What really floored me was that he talked about how his daughter, as smart as she is, and how she would Google his name someday and all she would see was this mess. She wouldn’t find out immediately how many touchdowns he made or hear anything about his fabulous record. Boo hoo, Ray. Instead, she would find out about domestic abuse, battered women, and so on. There was no mention of wrongdoing in this particular interview. He didn’t own up to anything. The whole message went with a “poor me” and “I am a victim” theme.

And again, I say “tough.” Too bad for you, Ray. Yes, we all make mistakes, but didn’t your parents teach you never to hit a woman? Did your parents teach you to do something about your anger? How about getting involved with a woman who thinks it’s OK to knock her around? Was this the first time you hit each other? Have you ever thought about counseling? How about anger management? Did you think about your daughter before you got upset and socked your wife in the face? I have a lot of questions, I’m afraid.

A couple of columns ago, I wrote about getting all the facts before passing judgment. Maybe I haven’t heard them all on this story, but as I said, I’ve read a lot. Whether or not the media is giving Rice a fair shake is beside the point. He admitted to hitting a lady in the face.

Ray Rice, I’m sorry your professional career is over. In this sick and twisted world we live in, I’m sure you will find some way to recover. I mean, we often make heroes out of the infamous. You will probably wind up making more money than ever. Write a book? Start a recovery movement for big tough guys who hit women?

Shoot, I’ll bet you have already been approached by someone wanting to give you a reality show. Did you sock away some of the millions you already made?

You want someone to feel sorry for you? Tough.