National Review Columnist A.J. Delgado told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday that Ray Rice's wife, Janay, had actually "knocked herself out" by hitting her head on a railing when he punched her, making the former NFL player the "bigger victim."
In an interview on his Wednesday radio show, Hannity pointed out that he had been sickened when he first watch video of Rice punching his then-fiancée an in elevator because she could have died when she fell and hit her head.
"We know how domestic violence abuse victims react sometimes," Hannity noted. "And they have a hard time getting away from the people that are victimizing them and abusing them."
Delgado argued, however, that Janay Rice did not consider herself a victim, "and some might even say, watching that video, Ray Rice is the bigger victim of domestic violence here."
She added that liberals were "patronizing" Janay Rice by calling her a victim.
"We know the truth, though, because we've got the video tape," Hannity observed. "But you said he's a victim because why? Because she slapped him and spit on him?"
"He absolutely is!" Delgado replied. "And some might say I'm defending Ray Rice here. Maybe I am, but if you watch the video, the video actually makes him look better than he did before. She repeatedly attacked him. He's a victim -- flat-out fact -- of domestic violence. Only after she's hit him several times and spit on him does he finally hit back.
"And she happens because of that blow to knock herself out on the railing," she continued. "That was an unintended consequence, I'm sure."
"I thought we live in this gender-neutral society. Liberals are always telling us men and women are exactly the same, they should not be treated any differently. But when it comes to domestic violence or rape accusations, the woman is automatically the wallflower, automatically the victim. I would love to have a liberal explain that to me."
In a column for National Review Online earlier this year, Delgado wrote that many rape victims mistakenly thought that had been abused because they had been "brainwashed" by liberals.
"[T]o the extent some in our society remain skeptical of rape claims, women themselves bear a share of the blame," she wrote. "After all, for every legitimate, actual rape claim there may be another that was not: a girl who cried rape."
