NEW YORK (AP) – Ray Rice has won the appeal of his indefinite suspension by the NFL, the players’ union said Friday.
NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah told The Associated Press in an email that “I can only confirm the suspension has been vacated, effective immediately.”
The appeal was heard earlier this month by former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones. She was deciding whether the NFL overstepped its authority in modifying Rice’s two-game suspension, making it indefinite after video of the Baltimore Ravens running back punching his fiancee- now his wife, Janay – became public.
The Rices testified at the hearing, as did NFL security chief Jeffrey Miller and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome.
Rice was released by the Ravens and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the suspension indefinite shortly after the video was made public. But Rice and the union claimed he was essentially sentenced twice.