Roger Goodell issued a memo to owners and team presidents Wednesday, detailing the investigative process of the Ray Rice case.
The NFL commissioner reiterated the league’s claim Tuesday night, stating publicly that league leadership hadn’t seen the video of the former Baltimore Ravens running back punching his then-fiancée in the face. In his memo to owners, Goodell once again said that he didn’t see the video until it was released Monday.
The league has received criticism for not going to greater lengths to obtain the incriminating video, and Goodell addressed why the league could not get its hands on it. According to him, the league requested the tape from multiple authorities, including New Jersey State Police, the Atlantic City Police Department, the Atlantic County Police Department and the Atlantic County Solicitor’s Office, but were denied by all.
Goodell added that they never asked the Revel Casino for the video, with the understanding that the Atlantic City, N.J., casino would not have been able to legally hand it over to them.
“Again, our understanding of New Jersey law is that the casino is prohibited from turning over material to a third party during a law enforcement proceeding, and that doing so would have subjected individuals to prosecution for interference with a criminal investigation.”
Goodell closed the letter by stating that the league is “confident” in the steps they’ve taken involving domestic-violence cases, and they’ll aim to do better in the future.
“I also know that we will be judged on our actions going forward,” Goodell said in the letter. “I am confident that those actions will demonstrate our commitment to address this issue seriously and effectively, and will reflect well on the NFL, all member clubs, and everyone who is a part of our league.”
