Ray Rice's Wife Janay Appears on NBC's 'Today' for Part 1 of Exclusive Interview

Ray Rice doesn't know whether he'll ever play in the NFL again. What the former Baltimore Ravens running back and his wife do know—and what the league's appeals process proved—was that he told the truth when he met with commissioner Roger Goodell in June.

Janay Rice reiterated that stance in a Monday interview with Today's Matt Lauer, claiming the NFL and Goodell "covered their butts" amid a wash of public backlash.

"I can't say he's telling the truth," Janay said of Goodell in her interview with Lauer. "I know for a fact that Ray told the honest truth that he's been telling from February."

Today ran multiple excerpts of its sit-down with Janay on Monday. Ray Rice's first one-on-one interview since being declared eligible to return to the NFL will air on the program Tuesday.

The NFL suspended the former Pro Bowler indefinitely after leaked footage caught him striking his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino elevator, and former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones reinstated Rice last week after hearing his appeal.

Rice, 27, had initially been suspended two games and received public support from the franchise. Jones ruled that Goodell's indefinite ban violated the league's collectively bargained rules against double jeopardy.

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Jones reasoned, per ESPN:

"

In this arbitration, the NFL argues that Commissioner Goodell was misled when he disciplined Rice the first time. Because, after careful consideration of all of the evidence, I am not persuaded that Rice lied to, or misled, the NFL at his June interview, I find that the indefinite suspension was an abuse of discretion and must be vacated.

"

The Ravens released Rice within hours of seeing the video, and their role in shaping the initial narrative has also come into question. Janay told Lauer that it was the Ravens who suggested she issue an apology at their initial press conference. She said she never would have issued such a statement if it hadn't been suggested.

From the Today transcript:

"

Lauer: Did anyone at the Ravens say, 'Janay, it would be really good if you issue some kind of an apology?'

Rice: They suggested it. Yes.

Lauer: Did they come up with the wording?

Rice: No, not specifically. They basically gave us a general script.

"

Lauer spoke with Ray on Sunday, who indicated that he's yet to personally speak to any NFL teams, per Today's Twitter feed:

Rice and his wife know the road back to the NFL will be steeped in controversy. In large part because of the leaked footage and the unprecedented media coverage of the incident, Rice has become the face of domestic violence in professional sports. Acknowledging it's going to take some "work" for the public to forgive her husband, Janay Rice implored teams to look at Ray's on-field accomplishments.

She told Lauer:

"

For them to look past this situation, which I know is going to be hard [on what it will take for another team to take a chance on Rice]. But at the end of the day, he's a football player, and that's what they should be really be focused on, because he's proven himself as a football player for seven years. There's never been a question on what he can do on the field.

"

A 2008 second-round pick (No. 55 overall) out of Rutgers, Rice rushed for over 1,000 yards in four of his first six NFL seasons. He was named to three Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro twice and was a key member of the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII roster. That said, Rice averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in his most recent season and will be a public-relations risk for any team.

Forgiveness, Janay acknowledged, was especially hard for her. After realizing Rice struck her in February, she told Lauer she was "furious" and ready to be "done" with the relationship. Only after the emotions of the situation calmed down did she realize this was an isolated incident. Janay also again claimed that Ray had never hit her before that night in Atlantic City.

Janay Rice told Lauer when asked if there was a history of domestic violence: "No. Not at all. Ray knows me. And there's no way. He knows what he would have to deal with, you know, if this was something. You know, I'm not going to sit there in silence and let something happen to me — and God forbid, in front of my child, just like, let it happen? There's no way."

This backs up a claim Janay made in her first-person piece for ESPN.com, as told to Jemele Hill. Janay and Ray Rice were married March 28, one day after Ray's initial indictment.

Sources told ESPN.com's Adam Schefter that at least four teams have expressed some level of interest in signing Rice since he was reinstated. Rice will be available immediately if he's signed by a team. Commissioner Goodell is yet to comment on the interview or claims that he's been less than honest during the process.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.