Six games for the first offense, lifetime ban for second.
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Janay Rice, left, looks on as her husband, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, speaks to the media. Rice was suspended for the first two games of the NFL season following an offseason arrest on assault charges stemming from an altercation with his wife.
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
The NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell received a substantial amount of criticism when the league suspended Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for only two games following his offseason arrest on assault charges.
Today, Goodell has responded to the backlash by announcing the NFL is changing its personal conduct policy and will issue a six-game suspension to any player, coach, or any other team personnel who commits "assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve[s] physical force." A second offense will carry a lifetime ban from football.
Goodell announced the decision in a letter sent to all team owners Thursday, noting that the new policies are effective immediately.
In his letter, Goodell admits that he got the Ray Rice ruling wrong:
"At times, however, and despite our best efforts, we fall short of our goals. We clearly did so in response to a recent incident of domestic violence. We allowed our standards to fall below where they should be and lost an important opportunity to emphasize our strong stance on a critical issue and the effective programs we have in place. My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families."
TMZ obtained video of the alleged altercation between the couple.
In July, the NFL announced it was suspending Rice for the first two games of the 2014–15 season and fining him over $700,000.
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TMZ
