Since the video of Ray Rice brutally assaulting his then fiancee surfaced, fans and media members have been wondering how Roger Goodell and the NFL could have possibly never known about the tape. After all, a brief statement claimed the league had never laid eyes on the surveillance video from an Atlantic City hotel elevator until it was released by TMZ.
More from Baltimore Ravens
- Ravens need to give Odell Beckham Jr. a reason not to retire
- NFL Rumors: Ravens additions might not be done after signing Melvin Gordon
- NFL Power Rankings: Who is the best quarterback in each division?
- Is Mark Ingram’s new CFB gig a signal that he’s retired from NFL?
- NFL Power Rankings: Which teams will have the best rushing attacks this season?
Now, TMZ is following up with their report and we may have a disturbing answer.
The NFL never cared.
According to the latest report from the sports gossip website, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL never contacted the Revel Hotel and Casino and asked to see the evidence.
That is troubling on many levels.
The casino claims that police and Ray Rice’s attorney had requested the tape, so they happily obliged and provided a copy. They would have done the same for the National Football League.
However, the league never made a request despite their claims yesterday that they had asked for “any and all information” surrounding the Rice case.
So without the video footage, Roger Goodell made a decision to suspend the former Baltimore Ravens running back for two games.
This is an obvious failure on many levels.
As Keith Olbermann stated, this was either deception or incompetence on behalf of everyone involved — Roger Goodell and the Baltimore Ravens organization included.
Where were the so-called ex-Secret Service and FBI agents that the NFL hired for the Ray Rice investigation? Were they really incompetent enough to think they can gather any and all information without going to the casino where the assault occurred?
The NFL has shown in the past that they are more than capable of getting their hands on anything that they want to see, so why did they not request the video of Rice punching his fiancee to see just how bad his actions were?
Instead, they chose to simply interview the victim WITH her attacker in the room. Anyone with a brain knows that is not how you get the information that you need. It is disturbing that the NFL has failed on so many levels in this case.
Thanks to their negligence in the case, the league now has egg on its face and many people have been begging for Roger Goodell to step down.
If he truly did not do his job and seek out all information before making a decision, resigning is something that he needs to do and it is up to everyone from owners to players to fans and even media members to put the pressure on Goodell.
Stay tuned to FanSided as we keep you up to date with the latest news in the NFL throughout the season. Need more NFL news? Be sure to bookmark FanSided’s NFL Rumors and News page to stay up to date on the latest action from the world of football.
Add us as a preferred source on Google