There was a gag order on the two-day hearing, in which Rice, his wife, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell all testified. The hearing will decide if Rice should be reinstated to the NFL following his indefinite suspension for punching his wife.
The hearing to determine if Ray Rice should be reinstated to the NFL concluded Thursday afternoon, according to reports.
Mike Segar / Reuters
The hearing isn't a criminal case, but Jones was jointly chosen as a third-party arbitrator by the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) to hear testimony under oath.
On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly testified for "over two hours" about what he knew about the elevator video, and when he knew it.
Goodell and the league have maintained that they were unable to obtain the video from the New Jersey hotel.
Mike Segar / Reuters
Ray Rice (and other sources) have maintained that Rice was upfront about his actions to the league and Goodell from the get-go. Initially, Rice was suspended only two games, a soft punishment that was widely met with criticism.
When TMZ released the elevator video after Week 1 of the NFL season, Goodell determined the video had changed his perception of the incident and suspended Rice indefinitely. The Ravens dropped him from his contract on the same day.
Proving false Goodell's insistence that the elevator video showed a different situation than the one painted for him by Ray Rice and Ravens officials is central to the NFLPA's argument for reinstating Rice. This would call into question much larger issues involving the league's handling of Ray Rice's punishment, and that of other players who have committed similar offenses.
