Ray Rice eligible to play after winning appeal of NFL suspension
A neutral arbitrator has overturned Ray Rice's indefinite suspension from the NFL, ruling that the disgraced running back did not mislead Commissioner Roger Goodell, who made an "arbitrary" decision to increase Rice's suspension from two games based on no new evidence.
The 17-page ruling issued Friday by Barbara S. Jones, a former federal judge, and obtained by USA TODAY Sports means Rice is eligible to play immediately if a team signs him.
It's also a blow to Goodell, who has been under heavy fire for months for his mishandling of domestic violence cases, is locked in a battle with the players' union over changes to the personal conduct policy and had portions of the punishment he handed down in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal two years ago overturned as well.
"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," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement. "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."
Rice, 27, initially was suspended two games for a domestic violence incident involving his then-fiancée at an Atlantic City casino in February. The NFL made it an indefinite suspension and the Ravens cut him after video surfaced in September of Rice punching out the woman.
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In a statement Rice said, "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."
In the appeal, the NFLPA argued, among other things, that Rice was subjected to double jeopardy based on the same set of facts and had his due process rights under the collective bargaining agreement violated. The NFL argued the video was new evidence.
"This decision is a victory for a disciplinary process that is fair and transparent," the NFLPA said in a statement. "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."
Earlier this month, Jones oversaw two days of testimony in Rice's appeal hearing. Rice, his wife, Janay Rice, Goodell and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome were among the people to testify.
In February, Rice and,Janay, were charged with simple assault. The Atlantic City prosecutor's office later dropped the charge against her. In March, Rice was indicted by a grand jury on the more serious charge of third-degree assault. The charge carried a potential sentence of three to five years in prison. After the indictment, Rice and Janay married.
In May, Rice entered a program for first-time offenders that would clear his record of the criminal charge if he met certain conditions, including participation in counseling.
On July 24, Goodell announced Rice would be suspended for two games once the regular season began. The punishment was heavily criticized as too lenient and sparked a series of changes within the league with how it handles domestic abuse.
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Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero