TMZ says Goodell, NFL turned blind eye to Ray Rice knockout video

With video that shows Ray Rice knocking out Janay Palmer in an elevator released on Monday by TMZ Sports, a popular topic among many was whether or not the NFL had access to the clip when they made the decision to suspend Rice for two games in July.

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Around the time of the suspension, veteran reporters such as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and the MMQB’s Peter King wrote that commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL had access to the video. However,  both seemingly backtracked from their comments on Monday and the NFL released a statement they did not see the video when making the two-game decision.

Their statement read:

"“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.”"

However, it appears TMZ will call the NFL’s bluff.

If Levin does actually have proof (and there’s little reason to doubt TMZ about this story), then the NFL is going to be in for a rough day on Tuesday.

We’re already seeing media members, such as ESPN’s Keith Olbermann, call for the jobs of Goodell and other principal members involved here.

This story has already proven to be one of the biggest black eyes in league history. Unfortunately, it’s about to get even darker.