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Rice plans to appeal suspension

Ray Rice was released by Baltimore Ravens last Monday © Getty Images

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Ray Rice is expected to appeal his indefinite suspension from the NFL, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Rice was released by the Baltimore Ravens last Monday, just hours after TMZ released a video of the star running back punching his then-fiancee in a casino lift.

The NFL suspended Rice indefinitely shortly after his release, a far more severe penalty than the two-game suspension initially handed down by the league in July.

Rice must file the appeal by 4:59am on Wednesday - three business days after the NFL officially notified the players' union (NFLPA) of the suspension.

The NFLPA still has not finalised its plan on a basis for the appeal and is considering multiple ideas, sources said.

American football website ProFootballTalk.com reported on Sunday that Rice planned to appeal the suspension.

The two-game ban drew widespread criticism of the NFL's policy on domestic violence, prompting the league to institute harsher penalties and for commissioner Roger Goodell to admit that he "didn't get it right" in a letter to team owners.

But public outrage has intensified in the past week in the aftermath of the circulation of the video, which clearly showed Rice punching Janay Palmer - now his wife - in the face. Palmer hit her head on a railing inside the elevator and was knocked unconscious.

The NFL and the Ravens both have repeatedly stated that they saw the video footage from inside the lift for the first time on Monday.

But an anonymous law enforcement officer told the Associated Press that he personally sent a tape of Rice striking Palmer to an NFL executive in April, sparking further scrutiny of Goodell and the league.

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