Ray Rice and the NFL aren’t ready to settle as the November 5 appeal hearing date approaches.
It appears the NFL is ready to advance with an appeal hearing against former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, despite talk of a potential settlement. Pro Football Talk notes that no reports have surfaced linking the two parties to settlement talks, meaning Rice will proceed with the hearing on November 5 where he’ll contend that the league wrongfully punished him twice for the same infraction.
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Rice’s attorney called on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to testify in the hearing, prompting some talk that the league might prefer to settle without airing its full side of the story. Nothing has come to fruition on that end though and both sides appear to be hunkering down as the hearing date approaches more than closing in on an agreement.
In truth, a settlement should be the priority for the NFL because each wants something different. Rice wants the money due to him beyond the original two-game suspension and the league doesn’t want to look bad, which based on his press conferences, it probably will if Roger Goodell takes the stand.
Money isn’t an issue if it saves face for the league. They flubbed everything in the Ray Rice case and they’re the ones who will have to eat it as a loss in cash or reputation. Either they go through with this hearing and put their accounts against that which the investigators have collected or they pay up and look bad for about as long as it takes for the next NFL game to air. The choice seems easy.
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