The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... The league office has its eyes fixed on Rice. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will allow the legal process to play out and "let the facts dictate" Rice's fate. Goodell told reporters Wednesday that the league continues to monitor Rice's legal situation, but gave no timetable on a possible suspension on the heels of the runner's arrest last month for simple assault at an Atlantic City casino.
Diehards Line:The seventh-year back has the full support of Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who said this week that Rice will "definitely" be back with the team. As NFL.com's Marc Sessler notes, that echoes the backing Rice has received from HC John Harbaugh and GM Ozzie Newsome. For fantasy football owners, the concern is obvious: Rice's legal issues come after the worst season of his six-year career. Even though Newsome said last month that Rice would be a "big part" of the team's plans for 2014 -- and new OC Gary Kubiak shared a similar sentiment prior to the player's arrest, it remains to be seen which Rice we'll get this fall (although reports he's already working intently on his conditioning are a good sign) and how he'll fit in Kubiak's run-zone scheme.