Ray Rice won his appeal of an indefinite suspension and has been reinstated by the NFL, effective immediately. The former Baltimore Ravens running back is free to sign with any NFL team.
A source who read the appeal decision told ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. that US District Judge Barbara S. Jones concluded that Rice did not lie or mislead the NFL. Rice had been suspended indefinitely on Sept. 8 after a video of him hitting his then-fiancee Janay Palmer and knocking her unconscious was released by TMZ.
During the appeal hearing earlier this month, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome testified that he heard Rice tell Roger Goodell during his disciplinary hearing in June that he had hit Palmer. While the video was reportedly sent to NFL security before TMZ released it, Goodell and company maintain that they had never seen it.
No one should be shocked by the decision. The NFL’s mistake was in only suspending Rice for two games when they found out about the incident. The suspension was only increased after the public saw how bad the video was, but that doesn’t mean it provided Goodell with any new information.
It would be a surprise if Rice is signed by an NFL team before the end of the season. It would also be a surprise if he was not back on an NFL roster next year.
