Report: Ray Rice's grievance against Ravens to be heard in January

Ray Rice's grievance against the Baltimore Ravens is set to be heard on Jan. 15 and 16.

Ray Rice's grievance against the Baltimore Ravens is set to be heard on Jan. 15 and 16, reports Tom Pelissero of USA TODAY.

The grievance will be heard by a system arbitrator. It was reported in October that Rice had filed a grievance against the Ravens challenging their decision to terminate his contract on Sept. 8.

The two sides will be able to try and agree on a settlement deal in the time before the hearing.

• MCCANN: Rice victory puts NFL system under fire

The Ravens cut Rice hours after video emerged showing him punching his then-fiancée​ in an Atlantic City casino elevator. Rice had previously been suspended for two games by the NFL after being charged with third-degree aggravated assault in March. The NFL suspended him indefinitely following release of the video in September, but Rice won his appeal of the suspension last month and was reinstated to the NFL.

Rice is expected to argue that the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement only allows one punishment for an infraction.

In her decision to reinstate Rice, Judge Barbara Jones wrote that she believed Rice did not lie to the NFL during a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell in June, making his second suspension "arbitrary."

- Molly Geary