Report: Ray Rice Could Be Reinstated As Early As November
According to a report from CBS's Jason La Canfora, Rice, who's serving a suspension for domestic violence, has a hearing date set for November, and could find himself quickly reinstated thereafter:
An appeal hearing date has been set, with a final decision expected to come in an expeditious manner thereafter, and all of that could be resolved by mid-November, which would conceivably allow Rice to sign with another team this season.
Perhaps, even if reinstated, teams will find him too controversial to sign, but there is every expectation his playing status will be resolved before the NFL's investigation into its handling of his case, being conducted by former FBI chief Robert Mueller, is completed.
Rice's legal team will reportedly argue that even under the NFL's new domestic violence policy, Rice's maximum suspension should be six games. Rice maintains that he was upfront and honest in his testimony to Roger Goodell about what happened the night he punched his wife in an Atlantic City elevator. Experts reportedly say Rice has a strong case to have his suspension reduced.
As La Canfora says, some teams may balk at signing Rice for PR purposes, but if he is reinstated, teams desperate for talent at running back may be willing to take a chance on him.