NFLPA appeals Rice's indefinite suspension

Sep 17, 2014 - 1:43 AM (SportsNetwork.com) - Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice filed an appeal through the NFLPA following his indefinite suspension.

The NFLPA released a statement Tuesday evening:

"Today, the NFL Players Association formally filed an appeal of the indefinite suspension of Ray Rice by the NFL. This action taken by our union is to protect the due process rights of all NFL players.

"The NFLPA appeal is based on supporting facts that reveal a lack of a fair and impartial process, including the role of the office of the Commissioner of the NFL. We have asked that a neutral and jointly selected arbitrator hear this case as the Commissioner and his staff will be essential witnesses in the proceeding and thus cannot serve as impartial arbitrators."

Per the collective bargaining agreement, a hearing date must be set within 10 days of the notice of Rice's appeal. The hearing will require a neutral arbitrator to determine what information was available to the NFL and when it was available.

The union, which had until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to file the appeal, added that under governing labor law, an employee can't be punished twice for the same action when all of the relevant facts were available to the employer at the time of the first punishment.

Rice was released by the Ravens on Sept. 8 after TMZ released video footage that showed him punching his now-wife in an Atlantic City casino elevator during the offseason.

In addition, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Rice's previous two-game suspension would run indefinitely due to the new information that had been made available.

The extended video showed Rice throwing a left-handed punch at then-fiancee Janay Palmer and knocking her out cold at the Revel Casino back in February.

Surveillance video originally released by the celebrity gossip website only revealed the aftermath of the incident, with Rice dragging Palmer out of the elevator.

The length of the original two-game suspension drew public backlash and prompted the league to amend its policy on domestic violence. First-time offenders are now suspended six games with a lifetime ban after a second such offense.

Rice offered an apology in May and did so again in July at the start of the Ravens' training camp, calling his actions that night "totally inexcusable."

In May, Rice was accepted into a pretrial intervention program that allowed him to avert prosecution and avoid serving any time in jail. The charges against him will be expunged from his record upon successful completion of the one-year program.

Rice played in 15 games last season and tallied 660 yards with four touchdowns on 214 carries while adding 321 yards receiving. Over his career, the three- time Pro Bowl selection has rushed for 6,180 yards and 37 touchdowns and caught 369 passes for 3,034 yards and six scores.