The appeal hearing for Ray Rice concluded Thursday in New York after two days of testimony, NFL Media's Judy Battista reported.
Rice left the hearing after just less than six hours of testimony on Thursday (his wife Janay departed before, per Battista). There were just under ten hours of testimony on Wednesday. The former Ravens running back seeks to overturn the indefinite suspension handed down by the NFL at the beginning of the season after video footage surfaced of him punching his then-fiancee in Atlantic City.
According to Battista, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and team president Dick Cass were also present during Thursday's hearings. Newsome spent a little under two hours giving testimony, presumably concerning "what he heard Ray Rice say in that June disciplinary meeting and what he interpreted it to mean," per Battista. Rice and his wife also had the chance to tell their version of events.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Roger Goodell was not present Thursday. The Commissioner gave testimony for approximately two and a half hours Wednesday, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The basis of Rice's argument, per Battista, is that he was subjected to double jeopardy when the league indefinitely suspended him (after originally banning him for two games). Rice believes that the NFL received no new information when the video became public -- and that Goodell knew what happened.
Former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones will hear and decide the appeal. In October, Jones ordered Goodell to testify in the hearing. Goodell was expected to take questions from Ginsberg, and from NFL Players Association outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler, who will lead the questioning.Â
Rice also has filed a grievance against the Ravens for wrongful termination of his contract.
