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Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome Testifies Against Ray Rice
Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome Testifies Against Ray Rice
Baltimore Ravens general manager, Ozzie Newsome was a witness in Ray Rice‘s hearing.
According to SI, the manager told the court that he overheard Ray admit to NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, that he in deed assaulted his former girlfriend, Janay, in an elevator outside a casino in Atlantic City.
Rice is being charged for punching his former girlfriend. The couple seems to have solved their differences because Janay is now Rice’s wife.
The incident was captured on tape. The video was actually sourced from TMZ. On his part, Goodell said the video does not match with the evidence provided.
Goodell was not the only witness in the hearing that took two days to be completed. Rice’s wife, Janay was also allowed to testify alongside Newsome, NFL security chief Miller and Ravens president Dick Cass.
Rice was also given an opportunity to tell his side of the story. Once the hearing was done, NFLPA released a press report thanking judge Barbara Jones for presiding over the case in a fair and thorough manner.
“This is the first time in the history of our League that a disciplinary hearing has been conducted pursuant to a joint agreement on a neutral arbitrator.
We commend NFL owners and officials for the wisdom of this decision which enhances the credibility and integrity of our business,” read the statement.
Rice’s lawyer told US Today that the judge ordered all the parties involved in the assault case to avoid discussing the matter outside the court. Despite the tough order, the lawyer said that some issues were still discussed because they were not sensitive.
Rice is not satisfied with Goodell’s decision to send him off the pitch on September 8. The former player is therefore appealing for his suspension to be lifted because he believes NFL was unfair to him.
The suspension indicated that Rice was going to miss two games. Ray was therefore expected to return to the field after two consecutive matches.
However, this has not been the case because the duration of his suspension does not specify how long he will not be allowed to play.