Both the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens have steadfastly denied having the chance to see a video of Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee Janay Palmer in an Atlantic City, N.J., elevator.
According to recent reports, it’s very possible that both organizations were lying.
A report by The Associated Press published Wednesday afternoon claimed a law enforcement official sent the video to the NFL offices three months ago, and that the league confirmed receiving it.
Later Wednesday, sources told ABC News that the Ravens were aware that surveillance video of the incident existed and that Rice’s lawyer had a copy, but never asked to see the footage.
The video clearly shows Rice punching Palmer in the face in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino after the elevator’s doors had closed.
Baltimore cut Rice shortly after TMZ published the video on its website Monday. In a press conference later that afternoon, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that the video “wasn’t made available to us.”
“As far as I know, yeah, it wasn’t something we ever saw or had access to,” Harbaugh added.
Rice is suspended indefinitely by the NFL, and teams have reportedly been asked not to contact him until further notice from the league office.
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