Arbitrator Barbara Jones on Friday overturned Ray Rice's indefinite suspension, immediately making him "eligible to return to the NFL." Jones contended that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "improperly punished Rice twice" for the assault of his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, and called the second, indefinite suspension "arbitrary." The ruling "brought new scrutiny to Goodell's oft-criticized handling of player discipline" (Baltimore SUN, 11/29).

NFL Exec VP & General Counsel Jeff Pash on Friday sent a memo to NFL team owners and presidents, which read in part, "No part of Judge Jones's decision questions the Commissioner's honesty or integrity, nor his good faith consideration of the issue when he imposed the indefinite suspension on Mr. Rice. Nor is there any suggestion that the Commissioner had seen the video from inside the elevator before it became public, or knew of the contents of the video" (NFL.com, 11/29).

Meanwhile, Rice "will begin his attempt to mend his public image when NBC's 'Today' show airs interviews of Rice and his wife on Monday and Tuesday" (Baltimore SUN, 11/29). Janay offered her story to ESPN's Jemele Hill, released shortly after the arbitrator's ruling was announced. Ray "was not present" for the interview and "no questions were off limits" (ESPNW.com, 11/28).

Problems with a water main and bad weather have "conspired to delay renovation work" on Wrigley Field, "forcing the Cubs to make contingency plans for relocating bleacher season-ticket holders in the likely event that the bleachers aren't ready" for the '15 season-opener. Cubs VP/Communications & Community Affairs Julian Green said that the team plans to "make the call on a temporary seating relocation policy -- if necessary -- by the time single-game tickets go on sale March 6." He added that Wrigley's new videoboard and outfield signs are "expected to be in place" for the season-opener (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 11/28).

CAA's Tom Condon yesterday denied a FoxSports.com report that he was leaving the agency, telling ESPN's Chris Mortensen, "I've had 8 fantastic years at CAA, I’m not leaving & I’m going to finish my career there" (TWITTER.com, 11/29). In the original report, a source said that CAA "will be losing the services" of Condon. Sources added that Condon "may jump to a position with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports Agency" (FOXSPORTS.com, 11/29).

The Revolution advanced to the MLS Cup after a 2-2 draw with the Red Bulls yesterday "before a home playoff-record crowd of 32,698 at Gillette Stadium" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/30). The Revolution will face either the Galaxy or the Sounders after the Western Conference final is decided tonight at 9:20pm ET in Seattle (THE DAILY).

Meanwhile, MLS' playoff format "will change again" next season, "when 12 teams will vie for the MLS Cup trophy rather than the current 10." A source said that an announcement "could come as early as" this week. The new MLS Cup format "calls for an increase in knockout-round matches from two to four." The Eastern and Western Conference semifinals and finals "will remain as two-game series," and the MLS Cup final "will remain a single match" (SI.com, 11/29).

Fox led all Thanksgiving NFL telecasts with 32.0 million viewers for Eagles-Cowboys in the late-afternoon window, marking the net’s best regular-season telecast of any kind since '98, when Vikings-Cowboys drew 32.7 million viewers on Thanksgiving. The audience is up 13% from 28.3 million viewers for Packers-Lions last year, which aired in the early Thanksgiving window, and up 1% from CBS' 31.7 million viewers for Raiders-Cowboys in last year's late window. Fast-national figures for CBS' Bears-Lions matchup on Thursday were unavailable at presstime.

NBC finished with 22.9 million viewers for the Seahawks’ 19-3 win over the 49ers, marking the best audience for a Thanksgiving primetime game since the NFL introduced the window in ’06. The audience was up 9% from 21.1 million viewers for Steelers-Ravens last year.

ESPN drew a 7.2 overnight rating for the Auburn-Alabama game last night, a figure tied with the Ohio State-USC game in ’09 as the net’s best on record for a regular-season college football game. The Iron Bowl, which aired on ESPN for the first time since '07, drew a 51.8 local rating in Birmingham, marking ESPN’s best figure on record in the market for a regular-season CFB game. Last season, CBS drew an 8.6 overnight for the Iron Bowl, which aired in the 3:30pm ET window and had a dramatic finish.

Tonight's CFL Grey Cup at BC Place "wasn't yet a sellout" as of yesterday, "despite a matchup of first-place teams." While "over 51,000 tickets had been sold, roughly 2,000 remained" for the Calgary Stampeders-Hamilton Tiger-Cats matchup (CP, 11/30). CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon said, "It'll be close to sold out. That’s a big number. That’s a strong number. And we were just here three years ago. We’ve never gone back to a Grey Cup city three years apart" (WINNIPEG SUN, 11/29).

CSN Philadelphia analyst Jamie Moyer "will not return for a second season" with the Phillies' broadcast team after "citing the desire to spend more time at home with his family in California." Moyer said, "I enjoyed my year behind the mic tremendously. ... However, as we are now based on the West Coast, the geography presents unique challenges." The remainder of the Phillies' broadcast team -- Tom McCarthy, Matt Stairs, Mike Schmidt and Gregg Murphy -- "will return" in '15 (CSNPHILLY.com, 11/28).

Ohio State yesterday "locked up the title of best home attendance" for the '14 college football season after a crowd of 108,610 saw the team defeat Michigan at Ohio Stadium. Yesterday's game marked "the largest crowd in the history of The Horseshoe" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 11/30).

Meanwhile, the stadium "went silent" at one point yesterday as the PA announcer called out the name of OSU DL Kosta Karageorge, who has been missing since Wednesday, "while a police poster seeking information on his disappearance appeared on the scoreboard" (AP, 11/29).

The Univ. of Maryland on Friday named former Univ. of Georgia AD Damon Evans Senior Associate AD & CFO. Evans, who resigned from UGA in '10 following a DUI, most recently was Managing Partner for New Jersey-based Evolution Sports Partners, which focuses on technology, analytics and consulting services for athletic organizations (UM).

Sapporo, Japan, Mayor Fumio Ueda on Thursday "announced his city's intention to bid" for the '26 Winter Olympics. The city previously hosted the '72 Games (AP, 11/27).

MLB's minimum salary is "rising to $507,500 next year from $500,000" (AP, 11/26).

The '15 Battle 4 Atlantis college basketball tournament will feature Syracuse, UConn, Michigan, Gonzaga, Texas, Washington, Texas A&M and Charlotte. The event will be held Nov. 25-27 at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas (ESPN.com, 11/28).

Arizona-based sign company bluemedia "has secured a multi-million dollar contract with the NFL" for Super Bowl XLIX at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, and will also "do signs" for Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/27).

Reebok on Wednesday announced the acquisition of U.K.-based boxing and martial arts brand Luta Sportswear (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/26).

The Islanders last night honored Hockey HOFer Denis Potvin, as the team "celebrates its legends during its last season" at the Nassau Coliseum (NEWSDAY, 11/30).

Moet & Chandon brand Champagne ran two full-page ads featuring Roger Federer in Friday's N.Y. Times, congratulating the tennis player for winning the '14 Davis Cup with the Swiss national team (THE DAILY).

"If they don't reopen the collective bargaining agreement and rewrite the personal conduct policy in this league, then they might as well take that shield that they say they are always trying to protect and run it over with a bus" – N.Y. Daily News' Mike Lupica, on Ray Rice's NFL suspension being overturned (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN2, 11/30).

"The process has been a mess. In the short-term, it's a big threat to the future of Roger Goodell. In the long-term, I still believe the biggest threat to the future of the NFL is the concussion issue" – National Review Editor Rich Lowry (“Meet the Press,” NBC, 11/30).

"I’m not aware of any backlash. That’s news to me" – Redskins Senior VP/Communications Tony Wyllie, on social media response to the team tweeting out a “Happy Thanksgiving” message (WASHINGTON POST, 11/28).

"We sold a lot of turkeys" – Del Mar President & CEO Joe Harper, on the track drawing 4,692 fans on Thanksgiving (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 11/29).

"We're all sick. The worst invention for all of us is the NBA league package. ... It's an addiction for all of us. If you know there's games on, it's hard to not turn on the TV" – Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, on players and coaches watching games on NBA League Pass (MIAMI HERALD, 11/30).

"I don’t know if it’s changing because of us or something else. But you get a little pride knowing that we set out with a goal to do something, and it’s starting to get accomplished" – Northwestern Univ. LB Jimmy Hall, on whether NU players' efforts to unionize sparked the current wave of NCAA reform (N.Y. TIMES, 11/29).

The N.Y. TIMES' Tim Rohan wrote Michigan was "once the class of the college football landscape," but the school "suddenly embodies the struggle between athletics and academics playing out at universities throughout the country."

The ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION's Mike Tierney profiled former sports radio host Nick Cellini, whose "insights and acerbic wit ... entertained sports-minded motorists" for 16 years. But since being fired for mimicking former NFLer Steve Gleason, who suffers from ALS, Cellini "swallows his pride in big gulps while toiling as a nouveau cabbie part-time."

Elsewhere:

• Barcelona "has become a model for future Olympic cities seeking ... reinvention."
• NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts is "looking to make her mark on the league."
• An appreciation for Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, who turned 87 yesterday.
• Cavaliers F LeBron James' "willingness to delve into social issues" has grown.
• How Pro Football HOFer John Stallworth became "a tycoon and philanthropist."
• Bob Ryan: "A Vote For Sanity, Common Sense With Baseball Hall Of Fame Ballot."

Wow, the NFL has media power: Fox NFL Sunday passes on debating Goodell's botched handling of Rice case, focuses only on Rice's prospects

— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) November 30, 2014

Between snowstorm response, raising $$ for Darryl Talley and the Kellys saying that Buffalo saved Jim's life, quite a week for #BillsMafia.

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurke_SI) November 30, 2014

Simple reason NYCFC has to have Lampard for March: Investing $400M in new team, can't send message to NYC it's not fielding its best squad.

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) November 30, 2014

Brent Musburger sounds great doesn't he? Has never lost his fast ball.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 30, 2014

Only Coach Ditka could hold a cigar on set while on air....

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 30, 2014

It really isn't Sunday without a 9 a.m. #NFL game on TV from London. #bobsyouruncle

— Kevin Paul Dupont (@GlobeKPD) November 30, 2014

Shawn Eichorst is a complete wildcard at Nebraska. He talks to nobody. Has very few friends or close associates in the industry.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 30, 2014