NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly testified under oath for more than two hours Wednesday at the appeal hearing for former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.
Commissioner Roger Goodell was in the crosshairs Wednesday, spending more than two hours on the witness stand during the appeal hearing for former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, according to a report.
ESPN.com reported that Goodell spent most of his time being cross-examined by Jeffrey Kessler, the outside attorney retained by the NFL Players Association on Rice’s behalf.
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ESPN.com’s sources did not disclose what Goodell discussed, citing a gag order in the case.
The hearing began Wednesday morning in the offices of former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who is hearing the appeal. She ruled that all witnesses would be placed under oath before testifying.
Both Rice and his wife, Janay, are expected to testify, separately, on Thursday.
Rice was indefinitely suspended Sept. 8 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The suspension came in response to the release of video showing him hitting his then-fiancee, in an elevator in an Atlantic City, N.J. hotel.
Goodell’s initial ruling of a two-game suspension of Rice was widely criticized.
Rice is arguing that the indefinite suspension is an enhancement of the punishment he received for the same conduct, in violation of labor law.
He is seeking immediate reinstatement.
It is not known when Jones will rule after the two-day hearing, scheduled to conclude Thursday, but ESPN’s Outside The Lines had reported the decision could come in a matter of days.
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