The wife of disgraced NFL star Ray Rice has claimed that her husband's attack on her was all part of God's plan to raise awareness of domestic violence.

The running back was released by the Baltimore Ravens in September after CCTV footage came to light showing him knocking out his then-fiancee Janay in a casino lift.

During an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, Janay said: "I feel like God chose me and Ray for a reason, and it was definitely to bring awareness to what people are going through every day.

"You know, it's not what I am going through every day, but you know it's definitely brought this topic to the forefront, and we are okay with that."

Last Friday, Rice's appeal against the NFL's decision to ban him indefinitely was successful.