Ray Rice's Wrongful Termination Grievance Date Reportedly Set

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice's grievance against the team reportedly will be heard by an arbitrator on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.

Rice's grievance is based on similar grounds to his successful appeal of his indefinite NFL suspension, which accused the league of violating rules against multiple punishments for the same incident. The NFL had initially suspended Rice for two games but extended that punishment after elevator footage of him punching his then-fiancee, Janay Rice, was leaked by TMZ.

An independent arbitrator called Rice's indefinite suspension "arbitrary" and said commissioner Roger Goodell "needed to be fair and consistent in his imposition of discipline."

Rice's grievance against the Ravens claims the team, which terminated his contract within hours of the footage leaking, also violated the collective bargaining agreement. He's seeking his prorated game checks for the 14 games following his suspension, which could lead to a judgement of up to $3.529 million, per Wilson.

The former All-Pro was entering the third year of a five-year, $35 million deal he signed before the 2012 NFL season. 

Once the face of the franchise, the relationship between Rice, 27, and the Ravens has grown increasingly contentious since his release. In an appearance on Today, Janay Rice accused the team of giving her "talking points," suggesting she apologize for her role in the incident. The Ravens have since released a statement denying those claims.

"At no time prior to the May 23 session did we provide talking points, a script or suggested script to Janay or speak with her about the press event," a statement read. "We did not recommend or suggest to Ray or Janay that she apologize in any way."

Rice, who is eligible to sign with any team, has neither had a workout nor been concretely linked to a franchise since his reinstatement. As Wilson's report notes, the Ravens and Rice can come to a settlement agreement regarding his salary to avoid the hearing.    

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