Janay Rice on Goodell: 'I can't say he's telling the truth'

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice won his disciplinary appeal against the NFL earlier this week, making him immediately eligible to play football. In the wake of that reinstatement, his wife Janay has begun speaking to the press about the chain of events that led to Rice's suspension and release, as well as what may lie ahead for the couple. Pointedly, Janay Rice has denied NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's version of the discussion that led to Rice's suspension.

Rice had knocked his wife unconscious in an Atlantic City casino elevator in February. Speaking to the "Today" show in an interview to be aired Monday and Tuesday, Janay Rice took issue with Goodell claiming that Ray Rice had been "ambiguous" in describing the altercation. The NFL initially suspended Rice for two games, then extended that suspension indefinitely after the September release of a videotape that showed the entire altercation.

"I know for a fact ... that Ray told the honest truth that he's been telling from February," Janay Rice said, adding that in regard to Goodell, "I can't say he's telling the truth."

Goodell's honesty, or lack thereof, has come under considerable scrutiny and criticism in recent months, with many NFL observers and players taking issue with the commissioner's authoritarian style of discipline and management. That method had served the NFL well for many years, but discipline seen as inconsistent or insufficient forced the NFL to scramble in an attempt to justify its way of handling punishment. That inconsistency was a key reason behind the invalidation of Rice's indefinite suspension.

Former U.S. Judge Barbara Jones, assigned to handle Rice's appeal, deemed Goodell's decision to extend Rice's suspension an "abuse of discretion," and like Janay Rice, disputed Goodell's version of events. "Because Rice did not mislead the commissioner and because there were no new facts on which the commissioner could base his increased suspension, I find that the imposition of the indefinite suspension was arbitrary," Jones wrote in rendering her verdict. "I therefore vacate the second penalty imposed on Rice."

"Ray told the commissioner, and his colleagues, everything that happened," Janay said in an interview with ESPN.com's Jemele Hill. "There was no reason to lie because we knew that there was a video and we assumed the NFL knew what was in it, even though we didn't know whether or not they saw it ... They asked Ray how long we had been in counseling and if we were going to continue. When Ray mentioned that we were drinking that night, the commissioner asked if that was something we were working on, too. They didn't ask too many questions. They just wanted Ray to explain everything that went on that night."

Interestingly, the NFL apparently showed little desire to get Janay Rice's side of the story. "I really didn't think they would ask me any questions, but I was asked one," she said. "I was surprised I was asked anything at all. One of the NFL executives asked me how I felt about everything. And I broke down in tears. I could hardly get a word out. I just told him that I was ready for this to be over."

At the time, it was only just beginning. The "Today" interviews with Matt Lauer will air on Monday and Tuesday morning.

____

Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

Follow @jaybusbee

And keep up with Jay over on Facebook, too.

from Yahoo Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/janay-rice-on-goodell---i-can-t-say-he-s-telling-the-truth-231435505.html