While Adrian Peterson has been banned for the rest of the 2014 NFL season, former Ravens running back Ray Rice has won his appeal of his indefinite suspension and is now eligible to sign with any team.
Source: Former #Ravens RB Ray Rice has won his appeal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 28, 2014
Ray Rice is immediately eligible, source says, by winning his appeal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 28, 2014
Judge believes Ray Rice did not lie.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2014
It’s hard to imagine any team pursuing Rice but, really, isn’t that why the Oakland Raiders are still an NFL team?
More via ESPN:
Former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who heard Rice’s appeal earlier this month, concluded in her decision, which was obtained by ESPN, that Rice did not lie to or mislead NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“In this arbitration, the NFL argues that Commissioner Goodell was misled when he disciplined Rice the first time. Because, after careful consideration of all of the evidence, I am not persuaded that Rice lied to, or misled, the NFL at his June interview, I find that the indefinite suspension was an abuse of discretion and must be vacated,” Jones’ decision stated.
“I find that the NFLPA carried its burden of showing that Rice did not mislead the Commissioner at the June 16th meeting, and therefore, that the imposition of a second suspension based on the same incident and the same known facts about the incident, was arbitrary,” Jones also wrote.
“The Commissioner needed to be fair and consistent in his imposition of discipline.