NFL running back Ray Rice's appeal of his indefinite suspension by the league may see a definitive decision by Thursday, according to Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com.
"Ray Rice's appeal of his indefinite suspension has been under review for roughly 10 days, with the judge's ruling expected before Thanksgiving. That was the timeline given at the time lawyers for the NFL, the NFLPA and Rice submitted their final briefs and arguments in the case," LaCanfora wrote.
It was expected by many that the ruling would come last week but that did not happen. Then Monday became the assumed deadline for both parties, as the combination of Rice seeking immediate reinstatement and the NFL season approaching its climactic final six weeks seemed destined to expedite the process.
Both purported deadlines passed with no word on the appeal and now the expected date of a decision is either today or tomorrow.
The Raven's suspended running back, according to LaCanfora, has stayed in strong shape and would "welcome" a return to the NFL this season - if you were to ask Rice himself, his wording would, no doubt, be quite a bit stronger than that. He has apparently been advised that NFL teams, even those desperately in need of a quality veteran running back, may very well shy away from the notion of bringing him on board because of his situation.
Instead, a 2015 return with a fresh start in a new city and team would seem more ideal and allow the fans of both the NFL and whatever team ends up signing him to get acclimated to the idea of his presence.
