Goodell will have to testify at Ray Rice appeal hearing

The independent arbitrator handling the appeal of Ray Rice's indefinite suspension has ruled that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell must testify at next month's hearing, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the decision by former U.S. District Court Judge Barbara S. Jones, who issued the ruling Wednesday.

The ruling isn't a surprise, given the appeal revolves around Rice's contention he was subject to double jeopardy and had his due process violated under the collective-bargaining agreement when Goodell increased his suspension from two games to an indefinite ban last month.

But attorneys for the NFL had contended Goodell shouldn't have to testify, contrary to the NFL Players Association's wishes.

Goodell told reporters at the league meetings two weeks ago the decision on that issue was up to Jones, who was appointed by Goodell to handle the appeal after consultation with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, as obligated by the collective bargaining agreement.

The appeal is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5 and 6. A location has not been finalized.

Rice also has filed a grievance against the Baltimore Ravens seeking back pay for wrongful termination on basically the same grounds as his NFL appeal: that he was punished twice for the same set of facts.

The NFL initially suspended Rice two games for an altercation with his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City casino elevator in February. That was increased to an indefinite suspension and the Ravens released Rice on Sept. 8, hours after the infamous video surfaced of him punching out Janay Palmer.

Goodell has said Rice's description of the incident was "ambiguous" in their meeting prior to the initial discipline being handed down. And the league has repeatedly denied anyone in the league office saw the tape before it went public.

A league-commissioned independent investigation of the NFL's pursuit and handling of evidence in the Rice case, directed by former FBI director Robert S. Mueller, is ongoing.

The original plan was to wait on Rice's appeal until after the Mueller investigation was complete. But when it became apparent that could take months, Rice asked the union to expedite the appeal in hopes of beginning to restore his name and resuming his career.

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.