Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome on Thursday testified under oath in the Ray Rice appeal hearing that he heard Rice tell NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his June 16 disciplinary hearing that he "had hit his then-fiancée in a casino hotel elevator," according to sources cited by Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN.com. Sources said that what "occurred in the June 16 hearing is key to Rice's chances for reinstatement." Details of what Rice and his wife "testified to Thursday and what Goodell said Wednesday were not released ... because of a gag order" imposed by former U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Jones. But sources said that Newsome "backed Rice's previous accounts of what he told Goodell." Also presented during the two-day hearing were "dueling sets of notes" taken by the NFLPA and the league during the June 16 meeting. Sources said that the union's notes "clearly state that Rice told Goodell he had hit Janay." Sources said that the league's notes "state that Rice used ambiguous words to describe the assault." Sources said that Ravens President Dick Cass was "scheduled to testify but was not called." Van Natta noted it is "unclear when Jones will rule in the case," but sources said that she "asked for final briefs to be filed by both sides next week ahead of any decision she will make" (ESPN.com, 11/6). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes for all of the attempts by the NFLPA in recent years to "wrest power" from Goodell in "handling discipline, nothing made its case like this Ray Rice saga." Something "must give in the process as the NFL works to revise its personal conduct policy." With Goodell's "bungling of the Rice case, the timing is right for the union to aim at stripping more of the commissioner's power, which it couldn't accomplish during the last labor negotiations." It is "obvious the climate is such that the league needs to restore the burned bridges with the players, not to mention its credibility with the public" (USA TODAY, 11/7).
TIME TO MOVE ON? In Miami, Greg Cote writes both Rice and Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, who on Tuesday agreed to a no contest plea to a misdemeanor count of reckless assault, "should be reinstated by the NFL and have the opportunity to resume their careers." This "isn't condoning" what Rice and Peterson did, but each player "has done his time in games missed and public shame." To continue their "purgatory would be unduly punitive" of Goodell. The NFL's new domestic violence policy will "call for a six-game suspension for a first-time offense," and both Peterson and Rice "already have missed more than six games" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/7).
GONE WITH THE WINS: In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy writes under the header, "NFL Plays On, Unscathed By A Rash Of Scandals." Shaughnessy: "The NFL Steamroller is grinding ahead, crushing everything in its path. We love our football. And how silly to think that it was ever threatened." The NFL’s September "stench is largely gone with the wind," and Goodell is "perfectly secure again." The domestic abuse crisis "has been handled, most former players are accepting a multimillion dollar settlement over concussions, and it’s business as usual for the NFL" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/7).
