This, right here, is 100% truth. A lot of guys don't get this, and think standing up for one's self isn't being a real "gentleman". Just because he's a 350 lbs lineman doesn't mean he isn't prone to this.
There does come a point though when it's too late, and there is no saving the relationship. No matter what he does, he has taken her BS for so long, and she is so conditioned in her behavior, she simply won't believe him if he tries to change. She'll just simply keep testing him, and either she will get frustrated and tell all of her friends what a jerk he has become and leave, or he will bend once again to her ways and go through this nightmare all over again.
Until your a millionaire stuck in an unhappy relationship with a woman you despise with the fear she'll try to take you to the cleaners if you leave, it's tough to judge this guy.