Fumbling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took the big hits Friday as suspended running back Ray Rice was cleared for his football return in a ruling that read like a rebuke.
While the decision by ex-federal judge Barbara Jones immediately ended Rice’s indefinite suspension, she also blasted Goodell and the league for their historically tone-deaf handling of domestic violence cases.
The independent arbitrator, in her barbed 17-page decision, appeared shocked that it two took videos of the Rice beatdown before Goodell figured out how to proceed.
“That the league did not realize the severity of the conduct without a visual record also speaks to their admitted failure in the past to sanction this type of conduct more severely,” Jones ruled.
The 27-year-old Rice never once lied during the league’s probe of his Atlantic City elevator attack on his now-wife Janay, said Jones. His admission to February’s brutal beating remained consistent throughout.
“I have found that Rice did not mislead the commissioner,” the ex-federal prosecutor wrote in her decision.
“Moreover, any failure on the part of the league to understand the level of violence was not due to Rice’s description of the event, but to the inadequacy of words to convey the seriousness of domestic violence.”
Rice, in a statement, thanked his wife for her support across the last nine difficult months.
“I made an inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility for actions,” he said. “I will continue working hard to improve myself and be the best husband, father and friend.”
Jones also took a shot at Goodell’s attempt to take a mulligan on his initial two-game suspension July 24 once a second video giving a horrifying view of the attack surfaced Sept. 8.
At that point, the commissioner suspended Rice indefinitely and he was immediately cut by the Baltimore Ravens just one season after helping them win a Super Bowl.
“I do not doubt that viewing that video in September evoked horror in Commissioner Goodell,” wrote Jones. “But this does not change the fact that Rice did not lie or mislead the NFL at the June 16 meeting.”
Janay Rice, who was the running back’s fiancée at the time of the Valentine’s Day weekend assault, said she and her husband learned of the decision Friday while with family and friends at her mom’s house.
“It feels unbelievable,” she told ESPN. “It’s a relief. We’ve been telling the same story for months and we always had faith that we had done the right thing. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
The couple were married on March 28, about six weeks after the assault took place. One day earlier, Rice was indicted for aggravated assault; he entered a pretrial intervention program, where his record would remain clean if he completed a 12-month program without getting into additional legal trouble.
Rice’s friend and ex-Ravens teammate Torrey Smith expressed the same sentiment as Janay Rice.
“Second chances are only as good as you make them . . . my boy will do the right things,” the wide receiver tweeted.
Goodell, in a September interview with CBS-TV, stated that “when we met with Ray Rice and his representatives, it was ambiguous about what actually happened.”
Not true, said Jones.
“Rice reported to Commissioner Goodell that he hit Mrs. Rice; and his lifting and dropping of the body was there for all to see in the outside-the-elevator video,” Jones wrote.
Goodell even acknowledged that Rice took “full responsibility” for the attack that turned him from football player to pariah, the decision read.
The commissioner’s knee-jerk decision to then upgrade Rice’s penalty from two games to an indefinite suspension was as “arbitrary” and “an abuse of discretion,” Jones ruled.
The NFL said it was ready to move forward after learning of Rice’s reinstatement.
“We respect Judge Jones’ decision to reinstate Ray Rice from his indefinite suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy in an incident of domestic violence,” said spokesman Greg Aiello.
“Ray Rice is a free agent and has been eligible to be signed by an NFL team since he was released by the Ravens. Based on Judge Jones’ decision, he will be eligible to play upon signing a new contract.”
There was immediate speculation about Rice landing on a new team before the end of the season, with teams like Denver and Indianapolis — both plagued by injured backs — mentioned as possible landing spots for the ex-Raven.
The ruling resolves a testy, public battle that followed the emergence of a videotape capturing Rice’s blow to his wife’s head in a casino elevator.
Goodell’s initial two-game suspension became a public relations nightmare, and the emergence of the second video offered him an opportunity to shore up the league’s image as tough on domestic violence.
Jones said other aspects of the Rice penalty — counseling, and possible penalties for further bad acts — would remain in place.
The NFL Players Association issued a statement hailing the decision and taking their own shot at Goodell.
“While we take no pleasure in seeing a decision that confirms what we have been saying about the Commissioner’s office acting arbitrarily, we hope that this will bring the NFL owners to the bargaining table to fix a broken process,” read a union statement.
Rice’s attorney Peter Ginsberg said the three-time Pro Bowler was eager to get back on the field after missing almost the entire NFL season. “On a personal level, Ray individually and Ray and Janay as a couple are dealing with these events privately,” said Ginsberg. “On a professional level, it is time for Ray to prove himself again.”
Jones was summoned to determine the fairness of the penalty against Rice, who was about to return from his two-game suspension when the second video emerged.
The former federal jurist met with Rice and his wife, Goodell and Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome.
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
ON A MOBILE DEVICE? CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO.
While the decision by ex-federal judge Barbara Jones immediately ended Rice’s indefinite suspension, she also blasted Goodell and the league for their historically tone-deaf handling of domestic violence cases.
The independent arbitrator, in her barbed 17-page decision, appeared shocked that it two took videos of the Rice beatdown before Goodell figured out how to proceed.
“That the league did not realize the severity of the conduct without a visual record also speaks to their admitted failure in the past to sanction this type of conduct more severely,” Jones ruled.
The 27-year-old Rice never once lied during the league’s probe of his Atlantic City elevator attack on his now-wife Janay, said Jones. His admission to February’s brutal beating remained consistent throughout.
“I have found that Rice did not mislead the commissioner,” the ex-federal prosecutor wrote in her decision.
“Moreover, any failure on the part of the league to understand the level of violence was not due to Rice’s description of the event, but to the inadequacy of words to convey the seriousness of domestic violence.”
Rice, in a statement, thanked his wife for her support across the last nine difficult months.
“I made an inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility for actions,” he said. “I will continue working hard to improve myself and be the best husband, father and friend.”
Jones also took a shot at Goodell’s attempt to take a mulligan on his initial two-game suspension July 24 once a second video giving a horrifying view of the attack surfaced Sept. 8.
At that point, the commissioner suspended Rice indefinitely and he was immediately cut by the Baltimore Ravens just one season after helping them win a Super Bowl.
“I do not doubt that viewing that video in September evoked horror in Commissioner Goodell,” wrote Jones. “But this does not change the fact that Rice did not lie or mislead the NFL at the June 16 meeting.”
Janay Rice, who was the running back’s fiancée at the time of the Valentine’s Day weekend assault, said she and her husband learned of the decision Friday while with family and friends at her mom’s house.
“It feels unbelievable,” she told ESPN. “It’s a relief. We’ve been telling the same story for months and we always had faith that we had done the right thing. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
The couple were married on March 28, about six weeks after the assault took place. One day earlier, Rice was indicted for aggravated assault; he entered a pretrial intervention program, where his record would remain clean if he completed a 12-month program without getting into additional legal trouble.
Rice’s friend and ex-Ravens teammate Torrey Smith expressed the same sentiment as Janay Rice.
“Second chances are only as good as you make them . . . my boy will do the right things,” the wide receiver tweeted.
Goodell, in a September interview with CBS-TV, stated that “when we met with Ray Rice and his representatives, it was ambiguous about what actually happened.”
Not true, said Jones.
“Rice reported to Commissioner Goodell that he hit Mrs. Rice; and his lifting and dropping of the body was there for all to see in the outside-the-elevator video,” Jones wrote.
Goodell even acknowledged that Rice took “full responsibility” for the attack that turned him from football player to pariah, the decision read.
The commissioner’s knee-jerk decision to then upgrade Rice’s penalty from two games to an indefinite suspension was as “arbitrary” and “an abuse of discretion,” Jones ruled.
The NFL said it was ready to move forward after learning of Rice’s reinstatement.
“We respect Judge Jones’ decision to reinstate Ray Rice from his indefinite suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy in an incident of domestic violence,” said spokesman Greg Aiello.
“Ray Rice is a free agent and has been eligible to be signed by an NFL team since he was released by the Ravens. Based on Judge Jones’ decision, he will be eligible to play upon signing a new contract.”
There was immediate speculation about Rice landing on a new team before the end of the season, with teams like Denver and Indianapolis — both plagued by injured backs — mentioned as possible landing spots for the ex-Raven.
The ruling resolves a testy, public battle that followed the emergence of a videotape capturing Rice’s blow to his wife’s head in a casino elevator.
Goodell’s initial two-game suspension became a public relations nightmare, and the emergence of the second video offered him an opportunity to shore up the league’s image as tough on domestic violence.
Jones said other aspects of the Rice penalty — counseling, and possible penalties for further bad acts — would remain in place.
The NFL Players Association issued a statement hailing the decision and taking their own shot at Goodell.
“While we take no pleasure in seeing a decision that confirms what we have been saying about the Commissioner’s office acting arbitrarily, we hope that this will bring the NFL owners to the bargaining table to fix a broken process,” read a union statement.
Rice’s attorney Peter Ginsberg said the three-time Pro Bowler was eager to get back on the field after missing almost the entire NFL season. “On a personal level, Ray individually and Ray and Janay as a couple are dealing with these events privately,” said Ginsberg. “On a professional level, it is time for Ray to prove himself again.”
Jones was summoned to determine the fairness of the penalty against Rice, who was about to return from his two-game suspension when the second video emerged.
The former federal jurist met with Rice and his wife, Goodell and Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome.
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
ON A MOBILE DEVICE? CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO.
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