Listen to Hang Up and Listen with Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS feed ∙ Download ∙ Play in another tab

Become a fan of Hang Up and Listen and join the discussion of this episode on Facebook here:

This episode is brought to you by Bombas, athletic-leisure socks, re-engineered to look better, feel better, and perform better, with a mission to help those in need. Go to bombas.com/hang and use the promo code “hang” to get a free pair.

In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca examine an arbitrator’s decision to overturn Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension from the NFL and the reaction to Rice’s reinstatement. They discuss how far Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III and Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose have fallen, what their futures might hold, and how fans, the media, and their teams talk about them. Finally, they talk to Australian cricket writer Gideon Haigh about the death of player Phillip Hughes, just how dangerous the sport is, and the cricket world’s reaction to Hughes’ death.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:

• Ray Rice won an appeal of his indefinite suspension and can sign with any NFL team.
• Read the arbitrator’s decision.
• NFL General Counsel Jeff Pash sent owners a memorandum explaining why the arbitrator’s decision didn’t undermine Goodell’s authority.
• Adam Schefter reported that four teams have expressed interest in Rice, but the Saints, Colts, and Broncos have all denied reports.
• On Today, Janay Rice said that the Baltimore Ravens suggested she speak at her husband’s press conference.
• ESPN’s Jemele Hill wrote Janay Rice’s perspective of the assault and the following months, in an as-told-to piece where Janay Rice was given approval over content and release date.
• In the Denver Post, Mark Kiszla said Richie Incognito would give the Broncos the toughness the team is missing.
• After being convicted of manslaughter, Josh Brent has been reinstated by the NFL, with a 10-week suspension.
• On Sunday, Colt McCoy—not Robert Griffin III—started for Washington and threw three touchdown passes against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts.
• Derrick Rose returned from yet another injury to score 21 points against the Celtics on Friday.
• Earlier this month, Rose said that he is being cautious in his comeback, because he is worried about feeling sore at his son’s graduation.
• Rose doesn’t understand why anyone would be upset by his comments.
• Chicago columnists have questioned Rose’s toughness and confidence.
• Charles Barkley said that Rose’s comments were disrespectful to people who work strenuous jobs without Rose’s huge salary.
• Wright Thompson’s profile of Rose in ESPN the Magazine included Rose’s college coach, John Calipari, describing the star guard’s low tolerance for pain.
• In the Washington Post, Dave Sheinin and Liz Clarke charted Griffin’s fall from college star and world-class athlete to the Washington bench.
• On Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner blog, Greg Cosell broke down Griffin’s inability to thrive in a traditional NFL offense.
• Australia mourned the death of up-and-coming cricket star Phillip Hughes.
• In the Australian, Gideon Haigh wrote about the danger lurking in cricket.
• Cricketers have resisted helmet safety advances in the name of comfort and style.
• The Economist examined the need to balance the potential for danger and the need for safety in cricket.
• It took 23 minutes for an ambulance to reach Hughes.
• The on-field fatal injuries of Ray Chapman and Mike Coolbaugh inspired safety reforms in baseball.
• The #putoutyourbats tribute went viral, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar tweeted a picture of the bat he used at age 25.
• HUAL listener Edward P. Olsen wrote about Hughes’ death and inspired Stefan’s Afterball.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Roughriders (not Rough Riders):

Mike’s Roughrider (not Rough Rider): The birds—specifically the Cardinals—are the Incarnate Word.

Stefan’s Roughrider (not Rough Rider): how tragedy haunted a one-time Yankees prospect and then struck again at age 81.

Josh’s Roughrider (not Rough Rider): chiding the Toronto Argonauts for two consecutive years of forgetting John Candy’s love for the team.

On this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss whether Marshawn Lynch and other players should be forced to speak to the media. Slate Plus members get an ad-free version of this podcast with bonus segments. Visit slate.com/hangupplus and try it free for two weeks.

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Chris Laskowski.

You can email us at hangup@slate.com.