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The N.F.L. Players Association is expected to appeal the indefinite suspension given last week to Ray Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back, after a graphic video of him punching his fiancée was released, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.

The move may complicate the N.F.L.’s messy handling of the domestic violence case, which has turned into one of the biggest crises of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s eight-year tenure. The N.F.L. has hired a former F.B.I. director to investigate what the league knew about the incriminating video.

It was unclear when an appeal might be filed, but the union has until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday to respond to the league’s decision.

Rice was cut by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by Goodell last Monday, hours after a video was posted on the Internet by TMZ showing him knocking out Janay Palmer, who is now his wife, in a hotel elevator in February.

At the time, Rice was serving the two-game suspension he received in July because of the incident. Critics had hammered Goodell for being too lenient, so in August he strengthened the league’s protocols for players who commit domestic violence. He did not, however, review Rice’s penalty.

Rice could fight his second suspension by pointing to Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement in his defense.

While Goodell has wide discretion to suspend players under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, Section 4 of Article 46 states that “the Commissioner and a Club will not both discipline a player for the same act or conduct. The Commissioner’s disciplinary action will preclude or supersede disciplinary action by any Club for the same act or conduct.”

Rice could argue that the league cannot suspend him twice for the same infraction, or that the league and the Ravens, who terminated Rice’s multi-year contract, penalized him twice.

Goodell said he indefinitely suspended Rice because he saw new video from inside the elevator that was released a week ago. If it is discovered that Goodell had indeed seen the video before he suspended Rice, then Rice could argue that Goodell was responding only to public pressure, not new evidence.

Representing Rice is tricky for the union. The national backlash against Rice has been strong, with calls coming from women’s groups and others for Rice to be barred permanently and for Goodell to step down.

The union has tiptoed around the issue this summer and did not openly back Goodell’s stronger suspensions. When Goodell strengthened the penalties for committing domestic violence in August to include an automatic six-game penalty for first-time offenders, the union issued a terse statement that neither supported the new rules nor condemned domestic violence.

Several other players, including Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers and Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers, may face suspensions for domestic violence in the coming weeks.

The union is also locked in negotiations with the league to overhaul recreational and performance-enhancing drug protocols, an issue that has dragged on for three years.