Ravens running back Ray Rice has entered a pre-trial intervention program after pleading not guilty to aggravated assault charges stemming from a February incident with his wife in Atlantic City, which means the legal process will wrap up as long as Rice satisfies all of its conditions.
League discipline still awaits, however. As PFT has previously reported, it is not a question of whether Rice will be suspended but ones about when he is suspended and for how long that remain to be answered. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Thursday that he and the team have not been given any indication about the time frame for Rice’s suspension.
“Not to my knowledge. I’m not aware of any timetable on that at all,” Harbaugh said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
The Ravens have presumably started making plans for not having Rice during the early part of the season, ones that should include Bernard Pierce now that Pierce is expected to be healthy in time for training camp. If Rice’s suspension is long enough, Pierce and/or others could convince the Ravens that a more lasting change makes sense at running back.