How Ray Rice could be reinstated to the NFL within a month

How Ray Rice could be reinstated to the NFL within a month

The NFL should consider itself lucky he hasn't sued. Even under its new policies, the most Rice could have received as a first-time offender was a 6-game suspension, and it's debatable whether the new policies even apply to him. The six games have already passed, so it's likely that he'll be reinstated in any review conducted by an impartial arbitrator with either legal experience or the common sense God gave a goose, both of which are apparently lacking in Roger Goodell.

On the other hand, if criminal charges are pressed and he spends a few years in the slammer for assault, he might miss a few more games. I doubt if his wife is going to co-operate with that prosecution, given that he's the goose who lays the golden eggs for her. (I'm big on goose metaphor cliches today, but I haven't figured out how to work in "What's good for the goose ...")

On the third hand, the Ravens have already declared his contract null and void, so the real pending question is whether any NFL team(s) will be willing to accept the controversy which will be generated by hiring him. (Hell, Dan Snyder ought to be up for it. Supporting domestic abuse would actually seem kind of mild compared to overt racism.)