Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has reportedly been reinstated to the National Football League after winning his appeal of an indefinite suspension levied against him by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The two-day appeal hearing took place earlier in November, and it took a fair amount of time for former U.S. district judge Barbara Jones to reach her decision.
Ray Rice has won his appeal, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2014
In allowing Rice to return to the league, Jones went against the National Football League and believes that Rice didn’t lie.
Rice was originally suspended two games by Goodell before being given an indefinite ban following TMZ’s release of the former Ravens running back knocking his now wife Janay Rice unconscious in a casino elevator in New Jersey earlier this year.
The NFL’s initial response of a two-game suspension placed the league under the microscope across the United States and led to Goodell and Co. coming up with a new domestic violence policy.
Despite this, the NFL continued to receive pushback from a skeptical public because of its handling of the Rice situation prior to the release of the aforementioned video.
In his appeal, Rice argued that Goodell has no grounds to extend his suspension from two games to an indefinite period. And now, the individual residing over the appeal, a former U.S. discrict court judge, agrees with the former Pro Bowler.
This doesn’t mean that Rice will see the field at any point soon. Baltimore released him the same day that the NFL threw down an indefinite suspension. And while Rice has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Ravens, he’s still a free agent.
It remains to be seen if anyone would show interest in Rice, especially considering the bad PR that would come with it. At the very least, he’s unlikely to play again this season.
Photo: USA Today