|
 Rice, 27, claims that he was punished twice for the same offense,
a one-punch knockout of his then-fiancee Janay Palmer during a
February altercation at an Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is expected to attend the two
days of hearings in New York, initially gave Rice a two-game
suspension for the fight, but in September after video of the punch
went viral, suspended the player indefinitely.
Rice says he explained the incident to Goodell, but the commissioner
claims his account was "ambiguous" and was brought into focus when
the video of the punch materialized.
Goodell said he had not seen the video from inside the casino's
elevator until it surfaced on the Internet.
The Ravens cut Rice and his $35 million contract, amid a wave of
public criticism that the league had turned a blind eye to domestic
violence by players.
Other Ravens executives and members of the players union are
expected to speak during the hearing before arbitrator Barbara
Jones, a former federal judge. The hearing will be closed to the
press and public and Jones has issued a gag order forbidding
participants from discussing it publicly.
Jones has issued a gag order requiring that all parties involved not
comment on the pending hearing.
[to top of second column] |
Goodell admitted that he "didn't get it right" when he suspended
Rice for just two games, and the league has since strengthened its
penalties for domestic abuse.
The league also hired Lisa Friel, the former head of sex crimes
prosecutions in the New York district attorney's office, to help the
NFL deal with domestic violence and sexual assault.
Should Jones side with Rice and his original two-game suspension,
the six-year NFL veteran would be free to sign with any team.
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Scott Malone)
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