Commissioner Goodell Lied: Ray Rice Explained Elevator Violence In First Meeting
Football fans were upset recently when an extended video surfaced of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his unconscious then-fiancé from an elevator.
The extended video was posted on YouTube, September 8, by TMZ Sports. It is a surveillance video showing Ray and Janay Rice getting onto an elevator. The couple seem to be having an altercation. As she advances on him, he punches her in the head with his left hand and sends her into the wall of the elevator. When the doors open, he proceeds to drag her out. She is obviously unconscious at the time. The video is below, but it is graphic.
Upset turned to outrage when it was decided that Ray Rice would be suspended for only two games after the release of the shorter video a while ago. Commissioner Roger Goodell indicated that the reason for the minuscule punishment was because the information received from Rice, during the meeting, was somewhat ambiguous. Sources state that it also could have been due to Janay Rice’s request for leniency.
“Because when we make a decision we want to have all the information that’s available. When we met with Ray Rice and his representatives it was ambiguous about what actually happened,” Goodell said.
Once the video surfaced, however, it was learned that the NFL had been sent the damning evidence by law enforcement back in April. If that wasn’t enough, sources told ESPN that there was absolutely no ambiguity in the Ray Rice meeting.
“Ray didn’t lie to the commissioner. He told the full truth to Goodell — he made it clear he had hit her, and he told Goodell he was sorry and that it wouldn’t happen again.” One of the sources said.
A second source added that Ray Rice had “told the truth.” Followed by a third source that indicated that Rice had given an account of the situation that ensured there was “was no ambiguity about what happened.”
All sources would only speak to ESPN with the promise of anonymity.
Since the video has surfaced, Ray Rice’s suspension had moved from only two games to being indefinite.
If Goodell had viewed the video when it was first sent to him, there would be no doubt about what happened in the elevator between Ray Rice and his now-wife, Janay Rice.
None-the-less, it is clear that Commissioner Goodell knew more about the situation from the beginning than he admitted to. Due to the surfacing information, former FBI Director Robert Mueller is going to be leading an investigation into the NFL and Commissioner Goodell.
[ Image courtesy of bossip ]
