One of the aspects that bothers me about this situation is how easily people are discounting her opinion on the matter. IMO, what she thinks should happen should be given more weight than anyone else.
Yes, many battered women become apologists for their attackers. However, it would be a mistake to automatically assume that is the case here. If she can honestly say that this was the only time that Ray Rice has done anything like this, and that he has taken steps (counseling, etc.) to pay for his mistake and ensure that it doesn't happen again, then that significantly changes the story. I don't know if that is the case or not, but if it is, then to discount her opinion on the matter simply because she is a "battered woman" is demeaning and does her a great injustice.