Roger Goodell testifies at appeal hearing for Ray Rice
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference following a meeting of NFL owners and executives in New York on Oct. 8, 2014. Credit: AP / John Minchillo
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified on Wednesday at an appeal hearing for suspended running back Ray Rice, who struck and knocked unconscious his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, during an altercation in February in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino. Goodell was cross-examined by former NFL Players Association lead attorney Jeffrey Kessler, according to ESPN.
Rice, attending the hearing with Palmer, whom he has since married, is appealing his indefinite suspension in hopes of being reinstated in time to play this season. The hearing, which is expected to conclude on Thursday, is being held at the office of former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones in Manhattan. Jones is not expected to issue an immediate ruling. No one who testified on Wednesday spoke publicly, adhering to a confidentiality order.
Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely on Sept. 8, just hours after a video was posted on the TMZ Sports website showing him striking Palmer. Goodell initially had suspended Rice two games. The Ravens released Rice after the video was posted. The league considered the video to be new evidence in the case and provided Goodell with the authority to change the terms of Rice's suspension. Rice's attorneys will argue that the NFL cannot punish a player twice for the same incident, according to a clause in the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
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