FORMER BALTIMORE RAVENS running back Ray Rice, who had his contract with the team terminated after video emerged of him punching his wife unconscious in an elevator, has won the appeal against his indefinite suspension by the NFL.
The ruling, which was expected in a many quarters, means that Rice is now free to sign with any team immediately and play as soon as this weekend.
The judge in the case, Barbara S. Jones, determined the player did not lie to NFL officials and had been unfairly punished twice for the same rules violation.
Rice was originally suspended for two games but the league made the suspension indefinite when video emerged of the incident, which clearly showed Rice punching his then-fiancée Janay Palmer unconscious caused public outrage.
Whether or not any team will sign Rice or not remains to be seen.