The Facts: Rice's appeal of his indefinite suspension has been under review for roughly 10 days, with the judge's ruling expected before Thanksgiving. According to CBS' Jason La Canfora, many felt the decision would have come by the end of last week, but with Rice making the case for immediate reinstatement and the NFL season approaching its final six weeks, both parties were under the impression final word on the matter was going to come in all likelihood by this Monday.

Diehards Line: Rice, who was suspended twice for the same infraction and given a ban much longer than what the NFL put in place under its new domestic violence policy (six games for first-time offenders), has remained in strong shape and would welcome a return to the NFL this season. Rice has been advised that even if reinstated, a team may well shy away from him in this climate, even potential playoff teams in need of a running back. As La Canfora suggests, a return in 2015, with a long offseason to get acclimated to a new city, new locker room and new coaches, would be more ideal than a return in this charged atmosphere.