Ray Rice expected to appeal NFL’s indefinite suspension
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Version 0 of 1. Ray Rice is expected to appeal his indefinite suspension by the league through the NFL Players Association, according to a source familiar with the deliberations. The players’ union received formal notification late last week of the indefinite suspension, which was announced last Monday by the NFL after the release of a video showing Rice striking his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, in a hotel elevator in Atlantic City in February. The union has until Tuesday to appeal on Rice’s behalf and did not confirm Sunday that an appeal will be filed. The expected appeal potentially could focus on whether Rice was improperly punished twice by the league for the same conduct, according to the source. The NFL initially suspended Rice for two games. The league characterized the video as new evidence. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in the official notification to the union of the indefinite suspension that the video showed a “starkly different” sequence of events than what Rice and his representatives related to Goodell during a meeting in June. Rice’s intention to appeal was first reported by ProFootballTalk.com. The appeal is to be heard by Goodell or a person appointed by him. The union could ask for the appeal to be assigned to a person outside the league office, according to the source. Rice was released last Monday by the Baltimore Ravens.
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