Ray Rice hearing puts Roger Goodell, NFL under pressure
What did the commissioner know and when did he know it?
In an echo of the 1973 Watergate hearings, Roger Goodell, head of the National Football League, must answer that question if asked during November hearings on Ray Rice‘s suspension.
The NFL banned Rice indefinitely Sept. 8 for violating its personal conduct policy. Reason: Video showed the former Pro Bowl running back hitting a woman, knocking her out cold and then dragging her from an elevator.
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Goodell suspended Rice two games when an earlier video appeared in early summer. When additional video evidence was presented, he increased the ban.
The woman in question, Janay Palmer, was Rice’s fiancée and shortly after the beating became his wife.
At the behest of the NFL players’ union, an arbiter will conduct a hearing on Nov. 5 and 6, according to media reports. Goodell has been told to testify in the private arbitration.
Former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones is the neutral arbiter selected to hear the appeal of Rice’s wrongful termination grievance. She informed the parties of her Goodell decision on Wednesday.
NFL lawyers argued that Goodell shouldn’t have to testify, and instead offered testimony from Jeff Pash, the NFL’s general counsel; and Adolpho Birch, the NFL’s vice president for labor policy. Pash and Birch were with Goodell when he met with Rice’s handlers in June to talk about what happened when Rice coldcocked Palmer.
Rice described details of the incident at that meeting. Goodell called Rice’s description “ambiguous” while Rice’s side maintained he gave exact details.
Once a graphic video became public in September, the Baltimore Ravens cut Rice. The league considered the video to be new evidence, giving Goodell the authority to further suspend Rice.
The players’ union appealed the suspension, saying Rice should not be punished twice. That’s the equivalent of double jeopardy as defined by the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Jones was jointly picked by the commissioner and the players’ union to hear the appeal. The union said at the time that Goodell’s testimony as a witness would be crucial in the proceedings.
What happens if Rice wins? He would be reinstated as a free agent. The NFL would be more than embarrassed; it could find trouble regarding its labor contract and with sponsors who shied away from the league because of the Rice beating and similar incidents.
These are heavy hitters, including PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch. Nike pulled Adrian Peterson licensed apparel after the Minnesota Vikings star was indicted in Texas for child endangerment. The NFL has dealt with other criminal acts and gross misbehavior in recent years.
The NFL has pledged to tighten enforcement against bad actors. The Rice decision could affirm its authority or undermine it.
Goodell’s testimony likely won’t be made public immediately, but its impact will ring across the NFL.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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