Rob Long: Ray Rice's Rebuttal
Now that the National Football League Player Association has filed an appeal on behalf of Ray Rice's indefinite suspension, what's the next chapter in this saga?
Ray Rice was suspended for two games from the NFL under their personal conduct policy after his offseason arrest for the domestic violence incident in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The original suspension went without an appeal from Rice and the NFLPA. Rice was fined an additional regular-season game check during that time as well.
On Monday, September 8th TMZ released the video of Rice hitting his wife in the elevator. This is the same incident that led to Rice's suspension from the NFL. While the immediate reaction to the video was shock, some suggested that it only revealed what Ray Rice told them initially. John Harbaugh said, "It was something we saw for the first time today, all of us. It changed things, of course. It made things a little bit different."
My question is how can the NFL render a suspension without having all of the facts? Even if Goodell hadn't seen the actual video, shouldn't he at least know what's on the video to make a ruling? Wasn't Mickey Loomis held accountable for what went on in the New Orleans Saints "Bounty Gate" scandal? Shouldn't Goodell be held to the same standard?
The NFLPA's appeal of Rice's suspension only means that this isn't over at all. This WILL NOT go away quickly. I don't think anyone's upset that Ray Rice was disciplined for his actions. However, someone has to be held accountable for the reckless manner in which the National Football League handled it.
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