Ray Rice

Ravens RB Ray Rice and his wife met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today at the league’s New York headquarters, one of the final steps for the embattled running back in dealing with his February offseason arrest before the start of the 2014 football season.

Two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed the meeting, which has been expected as Rice faces discipline under the NFL’s personal conduct policy stemming from an aggravated assault charge for allegedly striking his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, during an altercation in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino.

It’s unclear how quickly Goodell will rule on Rice’s suspension. He traditionally meets with any player facing discipline before making a decision, which is the reason Rice was in New York today.

The expectation is that Rice, who previously had a clean record, will get a multi-game suspension. The Ravens prepared for his expected early-season absence by signing veteran running back Justin Forsett and drafting back Lorenzo Taliaferro in the fourth round of this year's NFL draft. Bernard Pierce, Rice’s backup the past two seasons, is also slightly ahead of schedule in his return from offseason shoulder surgery, according to head coach John Harbaugh.