http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/9/19/6343099/ray-rice-suspension-appeal-roger-goodell-nfl
Ray Rice appeal could strike blow to Roger Goodell and NFL
By Louis Bien @louisbien on Sep 19 2014, 9:00a +
Lost among a torrent of statements and PR disguised as journalism was Tuesday's news that the NFL Players Association has filed an appeal on behalf of Ray Rice that threatens to render useless every carefully-chosen word in the ongoing storm of damage control. At stake in the decision is a definitive answer to the overarching question of the last two weeks: Is Roger Goodell a liar?
Rice will likely appeal his indefinite suspension by arguing that he was truthful with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when the two met in June to discuss his arrest on domestic violence charges. The NFL will maintain what Goodell wrote to the NFLPA in a letter last week, that the video that surfaced of Rice punching his fiancee Janay Palmer inside an Atlantic City hotel casino showed "a starkly different sequence of events" than Rice portrayed to the commissioner.
Reports suggest that Goodell is wrong.
Last week, ESPN's Outside the Lines cited four sources who said that Rice was unambiguous when he met with the commissioner, that the running back made clear in no uncertain terms terms that he hit Palmer and knocked her unconscious. Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, speaking with the Baltimore Sun, iterated the same thing about his own meeting with Rice.
"You know, Ray had given a story to John and I," Newsome said. "And what we saw on the video was what Ray said. Ray didn't lie to me. He didn't lie to me."
If Rice wins his hearing, set to take place within 10 days of filing the appeal, it would undercut the commissioner's authority over players. NFLPA president Eric Winston took to CNN on Monday to repeat the association's stance that the commissioner's disciplinary power should be reduced and delegated to a neutral arbitrator. The issue was a major facet of discussions before Wednesday's agreement on a revised drug policy.
Goodell has been criticized on his handling of the leaked video that led to Rice's indefinite suspension. An AP report claimed that the NFL received the video in April, but Goodell stood fast and maintained that he hadn't seen the tape until the TMZ leak. And in fairness, he could be telling the truth, even if it feels unlikely. Somewhere there is an office middle manager waiting to be made a scapegoat, right or wrong, for the lost tape that the league made little effort to obtain.
Goodell can't argue that his name isn't stamped on an argument based in another universe, however. If Rice wins, that would be his recourse if he can't admit that he panicked and lied -- because once Rice's punch went public, it revealed how ill-equipped Goodell was to do his job. Goodell would have lashed out of impulse, and betrayed the measured tone he used when he announced a meatier six-game suspension for first-time domestic abusers.
Goodell would have proven the NFLPA precisely right, that the judge cannot be the executioner and that a third party is needed to make sure that the most powerful man in the league never acts on a whim again. If that's the case, we may soon hear Goodell's last apology.
Ray Rice appeal could strike blow to Roger Goodell and NFL
By Louis Bien @louisbien on Sep 19 2014, 9:00a +
Lost among a torrent of statements and PR disguised as journalism was Tuesday's news that the NFL Players Association has filed an appeal on behalf of Ray Rice that threatens to render useless every carefully-chosen word in the ongoing storm of damage control. At stake in the decision is a definitive answer to the overarching question of the last two weeks: Is Roger Goodell a liar?
Rice will likely appeal his indefinite suspension by arguing that he was truthful with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when the two met in June to discuss his arrest on domestic violence charges. The NFL will maintain what Goodell wrote to the NFLPA in a letter last week, that the video that surfaced of Rice punching his fiancee Janay Palmer inside an Atlantic City hotel casino showed "a starkly different sequence of events" than Rice portrayed to the commissioner.
Reports suggest that Goodell is wrong.
Last week, ESPN's Outside the Lines cited four sources who said that Rice was unambiguous when he met with the commissioner, that the running back made clear in no uncertain terms terms that he hit Palmer and knocked her unconscious. Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, speaking with the Baltimore Sun, iterated the same thing about his own meeting with Rice.
"You know, Ray had given a story to John and I," Newsome said. "And what we saw on the video was what Ray said. Ray didn't lie to me. He didn't lie to me."
If Rice wins his hearing, set to take place within 10 days of filing the appeal, it would undercut the commissioner's authority over players. NFLPA president Eric Winston took to CNN on Monday to repeat the association's stance that the commissioner's disciplinary power should be reduced and delegated to a neutral arbitrator. The issue was a major facet of discussions before Wednesday's agreement on a revised drug policy.
Goodell has been criticized on his handling of the leaked video that led to Rice's indefinite suspension. An AP report claimed that the NFL received the video in April, but Goodell stood fast and maintained that he hadn't seen the tape until the TMZ leak. And in fairness, he could be telling the truth, even if it feels unlikely. Somewhere there is an office middle manager waiting to be made a scapegoat, right or wrong, for the lost tape that the league made little effort to obtain.
Goodell can't argue that his name isn't stamped on an argument based in another universe, however. If Rice wins, that would be his recourse if he can't admit that he panicked and lied -- because once Rice's punch went public, it revealed how ill-equipped Goodell was to do his job. Goodell would have lashed out of impulse, and betrayed the measured tone he used when he announced a meatier six-game suspension for first-time domestic abusers.
Goodell would have proven the NFLPA precisely right, that the judge cannot be the executioner and that a third party is needed to make sure that the most powerful man in the league never acts on a whim again. If that's the case, we may soon hear Goodell's last apology.
Helicopter view of Ray Rice jersey exchange line pic.twitter.com/Dis1MUmxuT (H/T @KellyNBC6, @GQisreal)
@RapSheet <small class="time" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 153, 166);"> 5m5 minutes ago</small>
Source: Former #Ravens RB Ray Rice has won his appeal.
Source: Former #Ravens RB Ray Rice has won his appeal.
lol what the fuck......I can't imagine this is real, maybe her account got hacked?
https://twitter.com/janayrice
nevermind, reading the rest of the account it has to be fake.
https://twitter.com/janayrice
nevermind, reading the rest of the account it has to be fake.
[h=1]Ray Rice domestic violence charges dismissed[/h]
MAYS LANDING, N.J. — A judge on Thursday dismissed domestic violence charges against Ray Rice, who was captured by a surveillance camera knocking his then-fiancee unconscious in a hotel elevator last year.
Judge Michael Donio signed the order after the Atlantic County prosecutor told him the former Baltimore Ravens running back had completed the terms of his pretrial intervention.
MAYS LANDING, N.J. — A judge on Thursday dismissed domestic violence charges against Ray Rice, who was captured by a surveillance camera knocking his then-fiancee unconscious in a hotel elevator last year.
Judge Michael Donio signed the order after the Atlantic County prosecutor told him the former Baltimore Ravens running back had completed the terms of his pretrial intervention.
HAPPY 29th RAY
<aside class="content">[h=2]Ray Rice[/h][h=3]Ray Rice[/h]Football Player<aside></aside>
</aside><section class="know-card"><aside class="card"> <label class="label text-muted">BIRTHDAY</label><time datetime="1987-01-22" itemprop="birthDate">January 22, 1987</time> (age 29)
</aside><aside class="card"> <label class="label text-muted">BIRTHPLACE</label>New Rochelle, NY
</aside><aside class="card"> <label class="label text-muted">AGE</label>29 years old
</aside><aside class="card hidden-phone"> <label class="label text-muted">BIRTH SIGN</label>Aquarius
</aside></section>
</aside><section class="know-card"><aside class="card"> <label class="label text-muted">BIRTHDAY</label><time datetime="1987-01-22" itemprop="birthDate">January 22, 1987</time> (age 29)
</aside><aside class="card"> <label class="label text-muted">BIRTHPLACE</label>New Rochelle, NY
</aside><aside class="card"> <label class="label text-muted">AGE</label>29 years old
</aside><aside class="card hidden-phone"> <label class="label text-muted">BIRTH SIGN</label>Aquarius
</aside></section>
