NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says Ray Rice is suspended indefinitely, but not permanently.
Asked on CBS if Rice could return, Goodell said it’s possible.
“I don’t rule that out. But he would have to make sure that we are fully confident that he is addressing this issue. Clearly, he has paid a price for the actions that he’s already taken,” Goodell said.
However, Goodell said he doesn’t know exactly what Rice will have to do to get back in the NFL’s good graces.
“I haven’t thought about that because right now, I think the focus is he’s got a lot of work to do, the family has a lot of work to do,” Goodell said. “We’re going to obviously provide whatever resources we can to help them work through that. At the same time, we’re going to continue to try to implement our policies and our, our revised education and training so that we can get to people and help people and their families make the wiser decision - and know they have resources available.”
Unfortunately for Rice, the reality is that he has to do more than just convince Goodell that he deserves a second chance. Rice also has to convince some team that he’s a good enough player to be worth the public relations hit that providing him with a second chance would entail. And considering that Rice averaged just 3.1 yards a carry last year, there may be no team that thinks Rice is good enough to be worth the risk. There’s a good chance that Rice is done in the NFL, even if Goodell is willing to give him another chance.