Of all the unbelievable things about the Ray Rice saga, the most outrageous indignity may be yet to come. After the domestic assault which set this train in motion, and Rice's subsequent light suspension, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell tried to cover his tracks by serving a more severe punishment. Now the former running back is angling for reinstatement. In his challenge to the indefinite suspension Rice's representatives claim that Goodell's ban was an act of double jeopardy- the league apparently cannot punish a player twice for the same incident. But if Rice's petition for reinstatement is successful, what team would take him? After all, many sponsors have already publicly addressed the issue, and not in Rice's favor.
Rice's representatives say that Commissioner Goodell's indefinite suspension from the league was a clear violation of the CBA, whereby Rice was initially dealt a two-game suspension for brutally beating his future wife back in February.
Most everyone agreed that the punishment was insultingly light, even by the lax precedents already set by the league. After all, violators of the NFL's substance abuse policy routinely get a minimum four-game suspension.
But Ray Rice's people don't care. They say even if Goodell screwed up, his original ruling must stand (via CBS Baltimore):
"If you were punished the first time, that's the punishment. You live with that punishment. You can't come back and increase the punishment later."
And yet, even if Rice has some rights according to the Collective Bargain Agreement, his reputation is damaging to the NFL, and few teams, if any, will likely want to anger sponsors by signing him (via Forbes):
Anheuser-Busch, one of the league's most prominent sponsors, said it was "disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this N.F.L. season." Nike, which provides uniforms, jerseys and other gear to the N.F.L., has pulled Adrian Peterson jerseys from its stores in the Minneapolis area, though not online.
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