NFL Rumors

NFLPA Files Formal Appeal For Ray Rice’s Indefinite Suspension

September 17, 2014

Update:

Mark Maske reports that commissioner Roger Goodell will not handle Ray Rice’s appeal and will instead hire a neutral arbitrator.

According to Maske, the NFL never intended to oversee Rice’s appeal.

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The NFL will not reinstate Ray Rice, despite the appeal that was filed on his behalf by the NFLPA Tuesday night.

“After the suspension was announced, we said: Teams have been notified that any contract between a team and Ray Rice will not be approved or take effect until further direction is provided from the commissioner’s office,” the NFL tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Even if Rice were to have his suspension lifted during the appeal process, there is no chance that an NFL team would attempt to sign him to a contract.

We’ll have more updates as the news is available.

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The NFL Players Association announced Tuesday night that they have files an appeal on the behalf of former Ravens RB Ray Rice regarding this indefinite suspension from the league.

The statement reads:

Today, the NFL Players Association formally filed an appeal of the indefinite suspension of Ray Rice by the NFL. This action taken by our union is to protect the due process rights of all NFL players.

The NFLPA appeal is based on supporting facts that reveal a lack of a fair and impartial process, including the role of the office of the Commissioner of the NFL. We have asked that a neutral and jointly selected arbitrator hear this case as the Commissioner and his staff will be essential witnesses in the proceeding and thus cannot serve as impartial arbitrators.

Jason La Canfora reports that a hearing date much be set within 10 days now that the appeal has been filed.

The basis of the appeal is that the league has already disciplined Rice for the domestic violence case involving his then-fiancee. The overall expectation is that commissioner Roger Goodell will likely recuse himself from the case seeing all that has transpired in regards to the league’s investigation of Rice.