Ray Rice Reinstated After NFL Suspension, Decision Receives Backlash
Ray Rice has won an appeal that ends his indefinite suspension from the NFL, but some are speaking out against the decision that could result in the former Baltimore Ravens running back getting back on the field this season.
Rice, 29, was previously suspended indefinitely when a video surfaced of him knocking his now-wife Janay Rice unconscious. However, that suspension was officially lifted Friday when Rice won his appeal.
George Atallah, the assistant executive director of external affairs for the players' union, released a statement about the decision to lift the running back's indefinite suspension, according to CNN. Rice said he was thankful for the appeals process.
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"I made an inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility for my actions," Rice said, according to CNN. "I am thankful that there was a proper appeals process in place to address this issue."
However, everybody is not as happy with the way the appeals process panned out.
Nita Chaudhary, the co-founder of the UltraViolet organization, spoke about the NFL's decision to overturn Rice's suspension.
"Let's not forget the issue at hand here, which is that 55 cases of abuse went unanswered under Goodell's watch," Chaudhary said in a statement obtained by The Christian Post. "It was also his decision to issue a pathetically short punishment in the first place that gave Rice a way out with today's ruling. The problem here is the NFL's long history of sweeping abuse under the rug."
Former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones acted as a neutral arbitrator and presided over Rice's appeal hearing earlier this month. She spoke about her reason for deciding to overturn Rice's indefinite suspension from the NFL.
"Because Rice did not mislead the commissioner and because there were no new facts on which the commissioner could base his increased suspension, I find that the imposition of the indefinite suspension was arbitrary," Jones said, according to CNN. "I therefore vacate the second penalty imposed on Rice," Jones wrote in her decision."
UltraViolet describes itself as an online community of over half a million people who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism.
