Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was suspended indefinitely earlier this year after punching his now-wife, won his appeal, meaning he could return to the National Football League.
Rice is now a free agent and eligible to sign with another team, the NFL Players Association said Friday.
The 27-year-old Rice had been sacked by the Ravens and kicked out of the NFL indefinitely in September after the emergence of video showing him punching his then-fiancee Janay in a casino elevator in February, knocking her unconscious.
The incident was one of several examples of violent off-field behavior that have roiled the hugely popular and lucrative NFL, sparking criticism from fans, sponsors and even US lawmakers.
“I made an inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility for my actions,” Rice said in a statement.
“I will continue working hard to improve myself and be the best husband, father and friend while giving back to the community and helping others to learn from my mistakes.”
The decision is a huge setback for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was criticized for his handling of the case, as many felt the punishment initially given to Rice was too lenient.
– ‘Fair and transparent’ –
“This decision is a victory for a disciplinary process that is fair and transparent,” the NFL Players Association said in a statement.
A former federal judge, Barbara Jones, presided over the appeal hearing earlier this month in New York as an arbitrator appointed by Goodell. Rice and his wife both testified.
Rice, who helped the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2013, was initially suspended for two games when a first video of the incident surfaced.
But a second video, which showed him punching Janay in the head, sparked a nationwide furor and prompted both the Ravens and the NFL to take tougher action.
The union argued the league violated labor laws by increasing Rice’s punishment after the video surfaced.
“While we take no pleasure in seeing a decision that confirms what we have been saying about the Commissioner’s office acting arbitrarily, we hope that this will bring the NFL owners to the collective bargaining table to fix a broken process,” it said.
– ‘Drunk and tired’ –
In a first-person account given to ESPN and published Friday, Janay Rice said the altercation between the former high-school sweethearts happened after a booze-fuelled night of partying at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City.
Janay said she never considered leaving her husband, blamed herself in part for what happened, and added she finds it “hard to accept” being labeled a victim.
Janay said their party of six drank at least two bottles of alcohol at a club inside the casino. The party then moved to a late-night restaurant where she and Rice began arguing.
“We were drunk and tired,” Janay said. “As we were arguing, he was on his phone and not looking at me. I went to reach for his phone, and when he grabbed it back, he spit on me and I slapped him.”
The two got into an elevator and then, Janay said what occurred is “still foggy” for her.
“The only thing I know — and I can’t even say I ‘remember’ because I only know from what Ray has told me — is that I slapped him again and then he hit me. I remember nothing else from inside the elevator,” she said.
“The next thing I do recall is being in the casino lobby surrounded by cops. The police separated us and arrested us.”
– ‘Going pretty well’ –
Rice’s wife said “nothing like this” had ever happened before, and that their relationship was “going pretty well” before the incident.
She has only seen the first video and chose not to watch the second one.
“I asked him why he left me on the floor like that. I asked him how he felt when he saw that I was unconscious. He told me he was in shock,” she said.
The couple were married on March 28, one day after Rice was indicted for aggravated assault. Less than a week earlier, they had attended a news conference together.
“I know some people disagreed with me publicly apologizing. I’m not saying what Ray did wasn’t wrong. But at the same time who am I to put my hands on somebody?”
She says one moment in their seven-year relationship wasn’t going to change things and she never had second thoughts about marrying Rice.
“I still find it hard to accept being called a ‘victim’,” Janay said.
“I want people to know how much we love each other and how far we’ve come.”