REPORT: Ray Rice Told Roger Goodell The Truth About What Happened In The Elevator In June
Goodell has maintained he didn't see the tape showing Rice hitting his wife in an elevator until TMZ published it, and that he didn't know the extent of what happened when he first suspended Rice for two games.
In an interview with CBS on Tuesday, he said Rice and his representatives gave an account of the incident in the Atlantic City elevator that was "ambiguous." He told USA Today that Rice's version of what happened in the elevator was "not consistent" with what he saw on the video.
Goodell's justification for his lenient initial punishment seems to be that he didn't know how bad the beating was.
Four unnamed sources close to Rice say Goodell knew exactly what happened. One of those sources told ESPN that Rice didn't lie:
"Ray didn't lie to the commissioner. He told the full truth to Goodell -- he made it clear he had hit her, and he told Goodell he was sorry and that it wouldn't happen again."
"He told the truth. This is a public lynching of Ray."
The "public lynching" kicker is strange, and leads you to believe that the source is pro-Rice in some capacity. In addition, there are ways you could sugarcoat the truth without lying. But if this report is to be believed, Goodell knew Rice hit his girlfriend in the elevator and didn't act forcefully until it became a matter of public relations.
We've reached out to the NFL for comment and are awaiting their response.