The NFL’s decision to suspend running back Ray Rice for knocking out his then-fiancee in an elevator for two games in July was viewed as a curious decision from the get-go.
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The weak suspension seems even more unfathomable now, with a bombshell of an ESPN report coming to light, which shows that the Ravens had access to the video of Rice’s viscous attack soon after it occurred.
In fact, even with the Ravens knowing the contents of the video and having access to it, it was Baltimore upper management that suggested Rice be suspended for just two games, according to the report.
"For its part, the NFL — which in other player discipline cases has been able to obtain information that’s been sealed by court order — took an uncharacteristically passive approach when it came to gathering evidence, opening itself up to widespread criticism, allegations of inconsistent approaches to player discipline and questions about whether Goodell gave Rice — the corporate face of the Baltimore franchise — a light punishment as a favor to his good friend Bisciotti. Four sources said Ravens executives, including Bisciotti, Cass and Newsome, urged Goodell and other league executives to give Rice no more than a two-game suspension, and that’s what Goodell did on July 24."
There’s so much to digest here. The fact that Ravens, knowing what Rice did, would suggest a two-game ban is truly unbelievable. The fact that Roger Goodell is playing favorites with his buddies when making serious decisions like this is equally strange.
The Ravens and NFL have never looked worse than they do now.
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