NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified for more than two hours at Ray Rice’s appeal hearing in Manhattan, NY, on Wednesday, a source told ESPN’s Don Van Natta.
Goodell was the first witness called after opening statements by the NFL and NFLPA, which is handling Rice’s appeal of his indefinite suspension from the league. Van Natta detailed who Goodell was speaking to, and what the second day of the hearing holds:
Goodell spent the majority of his time testifying under cross-examination by outside union attorney Jeffrey Kessler, sources said. The sources did not disclose what Goodell said under testimony, citing a gag order in the case.
Rice and his wife, Janay, attended the hearing, which began midmorning at the offices of former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones. Jones, who will decide the appeal, ruled that all witnesses would be testifying under oath.
The Rices are expected to testify separately Thursday, the sources said. Goodell, league security chief Jeffrey Miller and Ravens president Dick Cass are among the key witnesses expected to testify in the two-day hearing. It was not known Wednesday afternoon who followed Goodell.
It’s unclear when Jones will rule in the case, though a source told “Outside the Lines” a decision could come in a matter of days.
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