I don't have a problem with Rice getting dumped by his team at all. I wouldn't have a problem if the NFL decided to permanently ban him.
I'm not sure what the source of your annoyance is, Reg.
That said, there are legal issues here, ones that do indeed matter. The t's have to be properly crossed and the i's have to be properly dotted. If the NFL made any errors in how it handled Rice, the issue is fair game imo.
But even if his suspension is cut short, this doesn't mean another team will sign him.
Aside from the douchenozzle punching his fiancee and the NFL treating her as thought she was guilty party.
It annoys me when I hear people say, or read about them bitching, Ray Rice cannot be permanently suspended from the NFL because it would be denying him his place in the NFL or his right to earn a living in the NFL.
It's not a right, it's an opportunity.
An opportunity, as robeiae correctly points out, Ray Rice still has.
Rice was not prosecuted or convicted of assaulting his fiancée. Rice was suspended by Roger Goodell for two games. Following TMZ releasing the video inside the elevator of the assault Rice was then indefinitely suspended by Goodell and his contract terminated and he was released by the Ravens.
Rice's appeal hinges on his claim the commissioner suspended him twice for the same offense. While Rice is a detestable slug he still has the right to due process and legal experts says he has a good chance to win his appeal.
So and what? That doesn't mean any team has to sign him. Who would want the wave of negative publicity and the resultant media firestorm that would follow? Who wants ESPN and all the other media camped outside the team's offices filming and shoving mics under the noses of executives, coaches and players?
There are teams in need of a running back, but Rice doesn't just bring baggage with him. He's got an entire luggage store.
Someone may be willing to take on Rice's paltry 3.1 yards per carry and his diminishing skills, but I'd bet it won't be until next season when Rice may be less toxic to team chemistry than he is now and further removed from the headlines.
Rice could very well return to the NFL but it would be a surprise if it wasn't until next year when he'll be just another veteran trying to latch on to some team's roster (and shame and failure on whatever team that is).