Ray Rice plans to appeal suspension

— -- Ray Rice is expected to appeal his indefinite suspension from the NFL.

Rice was released by the Baltimore Ravens this past Monday, just hours after TMZ released a video of the star running back punching his then-fiancée in a casino elevator.

The NFL suspended Rice indefinitely shortly after his release, a far more severe penalty than the two-game suspension the league had handed down in July.

"We are expecting to appeal before the deadline on Tuesday night," NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah told the Associated Press.

Rice must file the appeal by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday -- three business days after the NFL officially notified the players' union of the suspension.

The NFLPA still has not finalized its plan on a basis for the appeal and is considering multiple ideas, sources told Schefter.

ProFootballTalk.com reported earlier Sunday that Rice planned to appeal the suspension.

The two-game ban drew widespread criticism of the NFL's policy on domestic violence, prompting the league to institute harsher penalties and for commissioner Roger Goodell to admit that he "didn't get it right" in a letter to team owners.

But public outrage intensified this past week in the aftermath of the circulation of the video, which clearly showed Rice punching Janay Palmer -- now his wife -- in the face. Palmer hit her head on a railing inside the elevator and was knocked unconscious.

The NFL and the Ravens both have repeatedly said that they saw the video footage from inside the elevator for the first time Monday.

But an anonymous law enforcement officer told The Associated Press that he personally sent a tape of Rice striking Palmer to an NFL executive in April, sparking further scrutiny of Goodell and the league.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.