Rice case: purposeful misdirection by team, scant investigation by NFL

[stillers4me]

The seven-month scandal that is threatening Roger Goodell's future as NFL commissioner began with an unexpected phone call in the early morning hours on a Saturday in February.

Just hours after running back Ray Rice knocked out his then-fiancée with a left hook at the Revel Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Baltimore Ravens' director of security, Darren Sanders, reached an Atlantic City police officer by phone. While watching surveillance video -- shot from inside the elevator where Rice's punch knocked his fiancée unconscious -- the officer, who told Sanders he just happened to be a Ravens fan, described in detail to Sanders what he was seeing.

Sanders quickly relayed the damning video's play-by-play to team executives in Baltimore, unknowingly starting a seven-month odyssey that has mushroomed into the biggest crisis confronting a commissioner in the NFL's 95-year history.


"Outside the Lines" interviewed more than 20 sources over the past 11 days -- team officials, current and former league officials, NFL Players Association representatives and associates, advisers and friends of Rice -- and found a pattern of misinformation and misdirection employed by the Ravens and the NFL since that February night.

After the Feb. 15 incident in the casino elevator, Ravens executives -- in particular owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome -- began extensive public and private campaigns pushing for leniency for Rice on several fronts: from the judicial system in Atlantic County, where Rice faced assault charges, to commissioner Goodell, who ultimately would decide the number of games Rice would be suspended from this fall, to within their own building, where some were arguing immediately after the incident that Rice should be released.

The Ravens also consulted frequently with Rice's Philadelphia defense attorney, Michael J. Diamondstein, who in early April had obtained a copy of the inside-elevator video and told Cass: "It's f---ing horrible." Cass did not request a copy of the video from Diamondstein but instead began urging Rice's legal team to get Rice accepted into a pretrial intervention program after being told some of the program's benefits. Among them: It would keep the inside-elevator video from becoming public...........................

Read more @ http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/11551518/how-ray-rice-scandal-unfolded-baltimore-ravens-roger-goodell-nfl

[st33lersguy]

I really hope Goodell finally gets the axe, not just for mishandling this, but also for his mismanagement of the NFL ever since he got here

[stillers4me]

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[Edman]

I said in another topic, if the Ravens were informed about the incident, then there's absolutely NO excuse whatsoever that Goodell didn't know about it too.

[tube517]

513094483270201344

Oh, but they didn't invetigate "hard enough". :jerkit:

[Edman]

I said in another topic, if the Ravens were informed about the incident, then there's absolutely NO excuse whatsoever that Goodell didn't know about it too.

[Count Steeler]

But the Ravens get it. They are one of Goodell's favorites.

His inconsistency is put on display time and time again. There is no way you are going to make me believe that Roger Goodell did not see or did not know what was on that second video way back when. His arrogance and the way he got away with sweeping the Cheats scandal under the rug, played into his mindset on this one.

How about revealing what was on the tape on that Patriots scandal? Oh yeah, burn baby burn. Karma is a bitch.

[Dwinsgames]

the truth always comes out ( eventually ) .....

I would find it highly ironic that " the team that gets it " ( who just so happens to be our biggest rival ) ends up being the end of Goodell via a scandal ....

this has Hollywood Movie written all over it

[Crow-Magnon]

I truly believe Goodell did not see the tape. Honestly guys, your hatred of Goodell clouds your judgment.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to bed, as I have to get up early and go the bank when they open. I am getting $1,000,000.00 from someone in Nigeria. Lucky me!

[stillers4me]

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[fansince'76]

I truly believe Goodell did not see the tape. Honestly guys, your hatred of Goodell clouds your judgment.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to bed, as I have to get up early and go the bank when they open. I am getting $1,000,000.00 from someone in Nigeria. Lucky me!

:chuckle:

[salamander]

But but but.....I thought the Ravens "got it" when it comes to everything in the NFL?

[T&B fan]

But the Ravens get it. They are one of Goodell's favorites.

His inconsistency is put on display time and time again. There is no way you are going to make me believe that Roger Goodell did not see or did not know what was on that second video way back when. His arrogance and the way he got away with sweeping the Cheats scandal under the rug, played into his mindset on this one.

How about revealing what was on the tape on that Patriots scandal? Oh yeah, burn baby burn. Karma is a bitch.


the Tapes might still be around ...

Roger Goodell’s handling of New England’s tapes worsened the controversy. Goodell originally intended to secure the tapes.
However, someone leaked them to Jay Glazer of Fox, and Fox showed portions on a pregame show.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/199345-the-truth-about-spygate-punishing-success-and-promoting-parity

Jay Glazer of Fox still has his copies

I show them at parties all the time, so they're more than welcome to come over to my house and see them. Me and my buddies will watch them all the time

http://deadspin.com/383677/jay-glazer-owns-the-nfl

[st33lersguy]

They Ravens did nothing until the firestorm over the issue because they like having criminal thugs on their team, especially those named Ray

[vader29]

Ray Rice appeal to cite edited tape

One of the chief arguments that Ray Rice will make in the appeal of his indefinite suspension is that the NFL extended his punishment on the basis of an edited videotape, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Legal sources told Schefter that the TMZ tape of Rice hitting his then-fiancee was a cleaned-up, whittled down and condensed version of the events that took place in the Atlantic City casino elevator.

Rice's side is expected to argue that the NFL suspended the former Baltimore Ravens running back indefinitely off an edited videotape that was not the extended version.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11563455/ray-rice-argue-videotape-assaulting-fiancee-was-edited


513712209877536768

[Shoes]

Ray Rice appeal to cite edited tape

One of the chief arguments that Ray Rice will make in the appeal of his indefinite suspension is that the NFL extended his punishment on the basis of an edited videotape, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Legal sources told Schefter that the TMZ tape of Rice hitting his then-fiancee was a cleaned-up, whittled down and condensed version of the events that took place in the Atlantic City casino elevator.

Rice's side is expected to argue that the NFL suspended the former Baltimore Ravens running back indefinitely off an edited videotape that was not the extended version.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11563455/ray-rice-argue-videotape-assaulting-fiancee-was-edited


513712209877536768

For those who don't want to listen to this masterpiece on espn, Ray said in a nut shell, that the Ravens went to hell after he left. Oh and Ozzie Newsome was one of the 5 star generals of the world as a man. :huh:

[Dwinsgames]

just like Ray .... put a knife in the back of an unexpected man err team

[zulater]

Ray Lewis, "There's some things you can cover up. There are some things you can't." Wow! With everything that's going on in the league now off the field do you think ESPN has any regrets to the hiring of stabbit Ray?


Get your own house in order before you go after others.

[fansince'76]

An oldie but a goodie and it fits here now...


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1yzeo_tv-funhouse-ray-lewis_fun

Oh, snap! I didn't see nuthin'! :chuckle:

[BigNastyDefense]

It doesn't matter if it's an edited, condensed version of the tape. He cold clocked his then fiance IN THE FACE, knocking her unconscious, and then dragging her out of the elevator like a damn caveman.

Now if she was hitting him and scratching at his face and he just pushes her out of the way, she stumbles and hits her head, then we are talking a totally different situation. That would have been accidental, no intent to harm her. But you don't accidentally punch someone in the face like that. You intend to do damage, you intend to knock someone out with that.

As for Ray Lewis, he should be rotting in a prison cell for double homicide. He's the luckiest SOB ever, and he should be recusing himself from any and all conversation about moral ambiguity.

[ALLD]

If I was in a gang fight I would definitely choose Stabbin' Ray over KO Rice.

[vader29]

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[zulater]

Just read the whole story. Looks like plausible deniability has just walked out the door exit stage left. So it comes down to this. Gross incompetence combined with willful ignorance. Or malicious manipulation of evidence followed by outright lies.

[Count Steeler]

Heard on the radio today that the NFL is now saying there are 2 Jeffrey Millers that work at the league office. Don't know if this is a joke or not.

[86WARD]

Jesus...seriously? Why can't the league just admit fault here. Who cares if there are 10 Jeffery Millers working for the LEAGUE office...they're still working for the league!

[Butch]

Hmmm how many Jeffrey Millers are security chiefs of the NFL?

[Count Steeler]

It remains unclear what happened to the video once it arrived at league offices. There are two NFL executives named Jeffrey Miller, but the law enforcement official didn't know that, and intended it to go to the chief of security. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the other Jeffrey Miller — who is involved in lobbying for the league — did not report receiving the video.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/09/25/ap-source-video-addressed-to-nfl-security-chief/16237079/

[ALLD]

Double talk from the Doublemint twins.

[T&B fan]

unclear what happened to the video once it arrived at league offices.

ok, so it did arrive at league offices ?

[Edman]

As if there wasn't enough evidence already, Ray Lewis is a cowardly hypocrite. Selling out Ray Rice already put him on a new low.

A Dairy Farm in a whole year could not produce the amount of straight Bullshit that Ray Lewis is full of right now. ESPN, please stop asking Ray Lewis. He's an goddamned embarrassment.