A source in law enforcement told the Associated Press that the authorities sent a copy of the recording of Ray Rice punching his then-girlfriend to the NFL five months ago.
BREAKING: AP Source: Law enforcement official sent copy of Ray Rice tape to NFL executive in April
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 10, 2014
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has steadfastly maintained that the NFL had not seen the video until TMZ released it earlier this week. The league had suspended the running back for two games. In response to the graphic video of Rice slugging the woman he later married with a left hook in an Atlantic City elevator, the NFL suspended him indefinitely and the Baltimore Ravens cut the veteran back earlier this week.
The league’s response to the violence-against-women scandal has resulted in calls from the National Organization for Women, ESPN’s Keith Olbermann, and various elected officials for Goodell’s resignation.
“No one in the NFL, to my knowledge, and I had been asked that same question and the answer to that is no,” Goodell explained to CBS News in response to a question about whether the league saw the footage. “We were not granted that. We were told that was not something we would have access to. On multiple occasions, we asked for it. And on multiple occasions we were told no. I understand that there may be legal restrictions on them sharing that with us. And we’ve heard that from attorneys general and former attorneys general.”
Norah O’Donnell followed up and the commissioner again answered no. Goodell reasoned, “[W]e can’t force them to provide any information.”
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