As the backlash over the NFL's handling of the Ray Rice video continues, the league announced Wednesday that it will hire former FBI director Robert Mueller to conduct an independent investigation into its handling of the case.
Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com reported that the league made the only decision it could make in light of an earlier Associated Press report, which uncovered evidence that a copy of the video of Ray Rice hitting and knocking out then-fiancée Janay Palmer in an Atlantic City casino elevator in February was in the NFL's possession in April.
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A law enforcement official told The AP that he sent a video of Rice's punch to an NFL executive five months ago, playing a voicemail confirmed that the video had been received. In the 12-second voicemail, a female is heard thanking the officer and saying, "You're right; it's terrible."
The National Organization for Women is seeking the resignation of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who continues to deny knowledge of the video's existence prior to Monday, FoxSports.com reports.
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Two weeks ago, Goodell said the NFL erred in giving Rice a two-game suspension in June for the domestic violence incident involving his now-wife. He restructured the NFL policy on domestic violence to mandate a six-game suspension for a first-time offense and a possible lifetime ban for a subsequent offense.
The league has maintained that it asked for a copy of the Rice video but never was able to obtain it. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday that the NFL had no knowledge of the dealing with the law enforcement officer.
"We are not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on Monday. We will look into it," McCarthy said, according to ESPN.
It's a dangerous position to take if the investigation proves otherwise. At the very least, the fact that the NFL didn't follow up or seem to make much of an effort to continue to ask for the video if it was denied, as Goodell claims, puts the league in an untrustworthy light.
It no longer would be a surprise if multiple NFL executives' jobs are on the line as a result of their original investigation into the Rice incident.
Do you think NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saw the video of Ray Rice punching his fiancée before Monday? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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