|
 Goodell's ruling last Thursday caused a harsh backlash from
critics who thought he let Rice off lightly compared to harsher
penalties for doping and on-field violations by other players.
Three U.S. senators expressed their dismay in a letter to Goodell
that the punishment did not send a strong enough message against
domestic violence.
"Our policy is clear. We have very firm policy that domestic
violence is not acceptable here in the NFL and there will be
consequences for that," Goodell told reporters in Canton, Ohio, site
of Saturday's Hall of Fame inductions.
"(Rice) has been accountable for his actions. He recognizes he made
a horrible mistake that is unacceptable by his standards, by our
standards, and he's got to work to re-establish himself," Goodell
said.
 "The criminal justice system...put him in a diversionary program
with no discipline, and we felt it was appropriate to have
discipline and to continue counseling programs and to continue our
educational work."
Rice was arrested in February after an altercation with his
then-fiancée Janay Palmer at an Atlantic City hotel.
Video surfaced online showing Rice dragging an apparently
unconscious Palmer out of the hotel elevator. The couple has since
married.
Rice pleaded not guilty to a third-degree charge of aggravated
assault and avoided trial by being accepted into an intervention
program in May.
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The running back, who helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl in 2013, issued
an emotional apology in a news conference at the team's training camp on
Thursday.
"I was also very impressed with Ray in the sense that Ray is not only
accepting this issue in saying 'I was wrong' but he's saying I want to
make a powerful difference in this area," said Goodell, pointing out
that this is Rice's first violation of any league policy.
"I think you heard from him yesterday and he's a young man that really
understands the mistake he made and he's bound and determined to make a
positive difference."
(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Gene Cherry)
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