Judge to rule on Rice appeal by Thanksgiving

Ray Rice could very well be back in the NFL this month. (Getty Images)

Judge Barbara Jones, who is handling Ray Rice's appeal of his indefinite suspension of the NFL, requested that lawyers for both Rice and the NFL present their closing arguments to her by Thursday – a week from the conclusion of last week's hearing – with an understanding she would rule on the case within 10 days from then, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Jones has issued a gag order in the case, precluding any of the involved parties from speaking, and for two days last week many of the central figures – Commissioner Roger Goodell, Rice and his wife Janay, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome – answered questions in her office as she gathered information to determine whether or not Goodell had ruled in “an arbitrary and capricious manner” in determining, after a video of Rice striking his wife on an elevator emerged, that Rice's two-game suspension, which was about to expire, should be expanded indefinitely. Rice was terminated by the Ravens as well, upon the publication of the video.

The NFLPA, and Rice's legal team, has long believed it had a very strong case, as that video evidence was long available to both the NFL and the Ravens (team owner Steve Bisciotti has said publically he could have procured the video had he tried; and both he and the league knew it existed). Rice committed no new transgressions in the time between striking his wife, speaking before Goodell, and then being penalized. The union believes he was punished twice for the same incident (double jeopardy) and also made the case that there were public statements from various officials, including Newsome, that asserted Rice had told his employers what he had done and what was included on that tape, while Goodell, in his second ruling on Rice, made the case that the former Pro Bowl running back had not been as forthcoming as he should have been.

At this point, a decision is likely to come before Thanksgiving. Judge Jones informed the sides of her request for final arguments before dismissing the sides last week, and the result remains on the timeline first reported by CBS last month, which was that Rice's reinstatement could come as soon as mid-November. Should she receive all documents by late next week, there is a possibility a ruling could come by Monday Nov. 17, though more likely at some point between that day and the following Monday (Nov. 24).

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Cowboys QB Tony Romo officially listed as probable, expected to play Sunday



Dallas Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill reported Friday that quarterback Tony Romo (back) took part in Friday's practice and is officially listed as probable and is fully expected to play Sunday. This supports what owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Thursday.In Romo's absence last week, QB Brandon Weeden took over and was not effective at all. Romo, on the other hand, was on pace for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns prior to his back injury.



This is great news for the fantasy world. If Romo is your starting QB for Week 10, we would still advise having a backup plan in place in case there is a setback that would prevent him from going Sunday. However, with the "probable" tag applied, you can deploy your Cowboys as normal and expect good fantasy days from them against the Jaguars.After a rough Week 9 loss to Arizona, WR Dez Bryant should bounce back this week with Romo under center. RB DeMarco Murray should also be in for a huge day. He may see even more carries than normal as Dallas tries to protect Romo and the two small fractures in his back as much as possible. Also, the Jags have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to running backs.