Breaking: Ray Rice Wins Appeal, Free To Sign With Any NFL Team

Former Baltimore Ravens running back has won an appeal of his indefinite suspension, making him free to sign with any NFL team. The league will not pursue any further punishment of Rice and accepts the ruling, according to ESPN’s Andrew Brandt.

Former United States District Judge Barbara S. Jones made the ruling in the appeal as an independent arbitrator, as she was named to hear and decide Rice’s case in September. Several NFL reporters have commented on the decision and its implications.

Former teammate Torrey Smith tweeted his support for Rice (h/t to For the Win’s Nina Mandell). We will have more on this story as this develops.

Update 4:30 p.m. ET:

The NFLPA has released a statement on Rice winning his appeal:

This decision is a victory for a disciplinary process that is fair and transparent. This union will always stand up and fight for the due process rights of our players. While we take no pleasure in seeing a decision that confirms what we have been saying about the Commissioner’s office acting arbitrarily, we hope that this will bring the NFL owners to the collective bargaining table to fix a broken process. It is clear that this decision should force the NFL to embrace neutral arbitration as part of a necessary due process in all cases. The players thank Judge Barbara Jones for her time and thoroughness in this matter.

The NFLPA also released a statement on behalf of Ray Rice:

I would like to thank Judge Barbara Jones, the NFL Players Association, my attorneys, agents, advisors, family, friends and fans – but most importantly, my wife Janay. I made an inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility for my actions. I am thankful that there was a proper appeals process in place to address this issue. I will continue working hard to improve myself and be the best husband, father and friend, while giving back to my community and helping others to learn from my mistakes.

Update 7:00 p.m. ET:

The following is a statement from NFL spokesman Greg Aiello:

“We respect Judge Jones’s decision to reinstate Ray Rice from his indefinite suspension for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy in an incident of domestic violence. Ray Rice is a free agent and has been eligible to be signed by an NFL team since he was released by the Ravens. Based on Judge Jones’ decision, he will be eligible to play upon signing a new contract.”

Related stories:

Ray Rice Appeal Hearing Concludes

Former U.S. District Court Judge To Hear Ray Rice Appeal

NFLPA Announces Investigation Into Handling of Ray Rice Matter

Domestic violence series by Melissa Mahler:

Domestic Violence: A Victim’s Perspective, Why Does She Stay?

Roundtable Discussion: A Former NFL Player Talks About How To Stop #Domestic Violence Now

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe!