Ray Rice wins appeal, gets reinstated to NFL

NEW YORK (KABC) -- Ray Rice has won his appeal of an indefinite suspension and has been reinstated to the NFL, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.

The former Baltimore Ravens running back is now eligible to sign with any NFL team.

Rice was suspended indefinitely Sept. 8 after a video of him knocking his then-fiancee and now wife Janay unconscious inside an elevator was released to the public.

The NFL originally had suspended the running back for two games in July. The incident occurred in February inside an elevator at an Atlantic City casino.

The appeal was heard earlier this month by former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who was deciding whether the NFL overstepped its authority in modifying Rice's two-game suspension. Rice and the NFL Players Association claimed he was essentially sentenced twice.

Jones concluded in her decision that Rice did not lie or mislead NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

"Because Rice did not mislead the commissioner and because there were no new facts on which the commissioner could base his increased suspension, I find that the imposition of the indefinite suspension was arbitrary," Jones wrote in her decision. "I therefore vacate the second penalty imposed on Rice. The provisions of the first discipline -- those regarding making continued use of counseling and other professional services, having no further involvement with law enforcement, and not committing any additional violations of league policies -- still stand."

The National Football League released a statement Friday after the decision was announced: "We respect Judge Jones's decision to reinstate Ray Rice from his indefinite suspension for violating the league's Personal Conduct Policy in an incident of domestic violence. Ray Rice is a free agent and has been eligible to be signed by an NFL team since he was released by the Ravens. Based on Judge Jones' decision, he will be eligible to play upon signing a new contract."

The NFL Players Association released a statement, calling Jones's decision "a victory for a disciplinary process that is fair and transparent."

"This union will always stand up and fight for the due process rights of our players. We take no pleasure in seeing a decision that confirms what we have been saying about the Commissioner's office acting arbitrarily. The only remaining action is for NFL owners to embrace a fair process with a neutral arbitrator in all cases. The players thank Judge Barbara Jones for her time and thoroughness in this matter," the union said.

ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.