Ravens Insider: Decision in Ray Rice's appeal hearing expected in roughly two weeks, sources say

[ExtremeRavens]

It won't be that much longer before a decision is rendered in the appeal of indefinitely suspended former Ravens running back Ray Rice.

 

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/ravens/2014/11/04/ozzie-newsomes-integrity-could-seal-case-for-ray-rice/18492855/

Ozzie Newsome's integrity could seal case for Ray Rice

Ray didn't lie to me.

That definitive statement from Ozzie Newsome might ultimately serve as the most convincing testimony that sets Ray Rice free from NFL exile.

Surely, as a two-day, closed-door hearing begins Wednesday in New York before former federal judge Barbara S. Jones to weigh Rice's appeal for reinstatement on the grounds of double jeopardy, everyone wants to hear from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

It was Goodell who tacked on an indefinite suspension after the Baltimore Ravens released the Rice following the TMZ release of the video inside the elevator that illuminated how Rice struck Janay Palmer, now his wife.

Goodell, who originally issued a two-game suspension that sparked national outrage, has said the more severe punishment was warranted when the elevator video revealed more than Rice indicated. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and team President Dick Cass have also stated the video inside the elevator, changed their thinking.

But Newsome, the Ravens general manager who has been largely silent publicly through the ordeal, didn't quite go along with the "it-was-worse-than-he-told-us" theme when given the opportunity during an interview with The Baltimore Sun shortly after Rice's release in September.

That's why Newsome's testimony is so crucial in this case.

"What we saw on the video was what Ray said," Newsome told The Sun, referring to the TMZ elevator video during an interview that included Bisciotti and Cass — weeks before Jones received the case as arbitrator and issued a gag order. "Ray didn't lie to me. He didn't lie to me."

Newsome's declaration may not mean as much to Jones — who presumably doesn't have a firsthand feel for Newsome's long track record in the NFL — as it does to people in the NFL community.

It should.

There may not be a front office executive in the league more respected for his integrity than Newsome, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his impact as a tight end but might also be worthy of a bust in Canton, Ohio, for his sustained record in the draft war room.

If Newsome maintains Rice didn't lie, there are a lot of people in the NFL who would join me in taking that to the bank.

That's not to suggest that Newsome should get a pass for his role in the Rice saga.

The Ravens didn't have to wait on the NFL to discipline Rice.

Instead, the Ravens, with Newsome charged as the top football executive, opted to defer to Goodell in handing out discipline under the since-revised, now-in-further-revision personal conduct policy.

Essentially, Newsome came to terms with Goodell's original suspension — and I'd suspect Jeffrey Kessler, the dogged lead counsel for the players union, will probe to determine whether the Ravens had any substantial input into the original discipline — when he might have suspected that it was too soft.

Newsome said from the outset that he would defer to the NFL for the matter he called "very concerning" during the NFL combine in February. He also said after seeing the first video, showing Rice dragging Palmer out of the elevator, "It doesn't look good, but I will reserve all of my comments until I get a chance to talk with Ray."

Newsome alluded to conversations with his coach, player development director and team security chief, leaving the impression that someone saw or knew the contents of the entire video.

That Newsome stuck by Rice for as long as he could is consistent with how he's operated for years. The Ravens have a history of not abandoning players the moment trouble arrives. Ray Lewis. Jamal Lewis. Terrell Suggs. They can all vouch for that.

Newsome has also been known to take chances on players with questions about their character, and in calculated cases will offer second chances. He tried to give Rolando McClain, a fellow Alabama alum, another shot after off-the-field trouble coincided with his bust status with the Oakland Raiders. Now McClain has rebounded with the Dallas Cowboys.

Yet for all of his integrity, Newsome is human. He can miss, too. He's also in that group of decision-makers who miscalculated the eventual outrage. Now his word could be the ultimate swing factor.