It’s been a few days since TMZ published the the haunting video footage of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, in an a casino elevator. She has since defended him and blamed the media. The incident occurred in April, and the NFL sat on it after doling out a tiny, 2-game suspension. After the new video was released to the public, the Ravens suspended Rice indefinitely. Sponsors dropped him. It all made for a nice show on the part of the NFL, but I have a feeling this was all about the bottom line. Yes, it’s a good thing that the Ravens finally took action. I still feel like they hung onto Rice until he ceased to become profitable. Once Ravens fans became disgusted, then the NFL cared. Fans are so eager to dump Rice jerseys that local businesses are offering creative exchanges.
The NFL has been trying to front like they never saw the super-violent video footage. Now an official statement has been issued. They’re going to “look into it.”
The NFL says it will investigate a report that claims one of its executives was sent video footage by an unnamed law enforcement agent that appears to show former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer.
“We have no knowledge of this,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday when asked about the Associated Press report that claims a 12-second voicemail from April 9 confirms someone at the league knew about the tape, which was posted online Monday by TMZ.
“You’re right. It’s terrible,” a woman says in the voicemail, according to the AP
“We are not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on Monday,” McCarthy said. “We will look into it.”
[From People]
Did you hear that? It’s fine, everyone. Do not be alarmed. The NFL is on the case.
Sigh. This is a systemic problem. The NFL issued new strict DV policies weeks ago, but it’s not enough. Especially if they’re playing a huge coverup game like this.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell tried some PR cleanup on CBS This Morning. Here’s a video clip. He repeatedly denies that anyone in the NFL saw this video before Monday. A full transcript is available here. Goodell says the NFL kept asking for more footage only to be rebuffed. Huh. Goodell also says “it was ambiguous about what actually happened” when they spoke to Rice. So he’s calling Rice a liar, which may the case. Buuut. The video.
There are other additions to this story. Let’s do bulletpoints:
* EA Sports has removed Rice from their Madden NFL video game lineup. Good.
* Prosecutors are defending their no-jail deal with Rice. He was only charged with misdemeanor assault. He avoided the potential 3-5 year prison sentence by accepting pre-trial intervention. In other words, counseling. This is a routine procedure, but it’s difficult to believe the video footage had no additional impact. The prosecution also told Press of Atlantic City that they “ decided to forgo the trial for the sake of Janay Rice.” Since PTI was a foregone conclusion, “It’s not fair to the victim” to drag things out for months. Looks like that happened anyway.
* Rice is so sad about this whole situation. For real. He spoke with the CBS WFAN station off the air. Host Craig Carton says Rice is “miserable” and “embarrassed.” He should be. Rice also said he’s “very much in love” with Janae, and they’re together as husband and wife. He doesn’t care about the football: “He recognizes that this has now stained who he is as a man. That this is now who he is — this is the impression everybody will have of him other than family members and people closest to him.” Uh … when you punch a woman, spit on her, and drag her body, people will think you’re abusive.
Photos courtesy of Getty & WENN
