After all the turmoil surrounding the NFL and domestic abuse cases, former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice might actually be able to suit up for another team and return to the playing field prior to Thanksgiving Day.
According to a CBS NFL Insider, legal analysts say Rice has an "exceedingly strong case" for reinstatement when he appeals the suspension handed to him by commissioner Roger Goodell.
Rice was suspended indefinitely from the Ravens after allegations he punched his then-fiancée in the face in the now-infamous elevator incident that sparked national outrage.
Rice's legal team is reportedly expected to move on the appeal quickly and the 27-year-old could potentially wind up on another team "within the next four weeks."
The reasoning? According to recent changes to NFL policy, a first domestic abuse offense is punished with a six-game suspension.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is currently in the midst a thorough investigation into the Ray Rice case, but CBS says it's unlikely anything will come to light before the appeal.
Plus, to no surprise, Rice's legal team reportedly has no intentions to wait around for those findings to be presented, as they could jeopardize whether he'd be allowed to play.
In the event Rice is reinstated, one big question has been floating around the sports media: who would take the PR risk and sign him?
CBS points to the Colts and the Patriots based on the former coaches who might still see him in a favorable light, but that's all purely speculation at this point.
Either way, the idea Rice could play again so soon after his suspension has already upset a few in the media.
A writer for Fansided says, "To have Rice then just return to the NFL and start redeeming himself, less than a year after all of this went down, would seem so massively counter-intuitive that people’s [heads] might actually explode."
Plus, Mediaite says teams will likely still consider him a "highly toxic asset."
In fact, CNN says "more than 7,000 people" lined up outside Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium last month to trade in Ray Rice jerseys in exchange for a jersey from a different Ravens player — a team-sponsored event which ran out of inventory.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
