Why does the Ray Rice video change anything?

[HOFCeluck]

I feel that Ray lied to Goodell, with Janay's help. Made it sound like she was the aggressor and he was wrong to defend himself with a punch, but he did. It was a misunderstanding etc, etc. When the video came out the truth imo, looks a lot different than the story they told Goodell.

But this presumes that Rog didn't see the video. I've heard conflicting accounts of this, and was under the impression before this leaked that the NFL had access and had seen the video. And even if they didn't, am I to believe that TMZ could get it but not the NFL or Baltimore?

 

[CusefanATL]

But this presumes that Rog didn't see the video. I've heard conflicting accounts of this, and was under the impression before this leaked that the NFL had access and had seen the video. And even if they didn't, am I to believe that TMZ could get it but not the NFL or Baltimore?

People keep saying that.

Dont you think its pretty ironic that the casino closed on 9/2/14 and TMZ posted it on 9/8/14?

 

[BlazeOrange]

But this presumes that Rog didn't see the video. I've heard conflicting accounts of this, and was under the impression before this leaked that the NFL had access and had seen the video. And even if they didn't, am I to believe that TMZ could get it but not the NFL or Baltimore?

He doubled-down about not having access or seeing the video in his interview this morning. Expanding a coverup at this point in the media firestorm would not be a good strategy, so I'm inclined to believe him.

The NFL only contacted documentable sources during their investigation - law enforcement (definitely) and the hotel management (I wrongly assumed, see edit below). A DA or someone said that law enforcement could not legally provide the tape to any outside parties, while the hotel was not obligated to and probably wouldn't want videotaped violence on their property to be circulated. On the other hand, releasing leaked videos is what TMZ does and they're pretty good at it. They have a network of sources and will pay for anything juicy.

I don't think we could expect much more from a corporate investigation, with the exception that once they learned that there was a tape, it isn't clear how hard they tried to find out what was on it even if they weren't allowed direct access to it. They could've showed Ray's deposition to the DA and just asked him if what's on the tape corroborates the story.

[EDIT: I heard on the radio later on today that the NFL said they did NOT contact the hotel to request a copy of the tape. They only went through law enforcement agencies.]

 

[HOFCeluck]

He doubled-down about not having access or seeing the video in his interview this morning. Expanding a coverup at this point in the media firestorm would not be a good strategy, so I'm inclined to believe him.

The NFL only contacted documentable sources during their investigation - law enforcement (definitely) and the hotel management (I assume, but not certain). A DA or someone said that law enforcement could not legally provide the tape to any outside parties, while the hotel was not obligated to and probably wouldn't want videotaped violence on their property to be circulated. On the other hand, releasing leaked videos is what TMZ does and they're pretty good at it. They have a network of sources and will pay for anything juicy.

I don't think we could expect much more from a corporate investigation, with the exception that once they learned that there was a tape, it isn't clear how hard they tried to find out what was on it even if they weren't allowed direct access to it. They could've showed Ray's deposition to the DA and just asked him if what's on the tape corroborates the story.

That's the thing. We don't know how hard they tried to get that tape. Given that NFL security consists of myriad LE types, I'm inclined to belive that they didn't try very hard.

You already have a video of Ray Rice dragging an unconscious woman out of an elevator. What would you take anything he says at face value? Besides the obvious being that they wanted to?

 

[retro44]

I don't agree at all with this story....http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/10/domestic-violence-ray-rice_n_5798058.html

Ray Rice can go out and find another job just like the rest of us could, but the wife is acting like she is entitled to income that was earned before Rice embarrassed the whole league.

Josh Gordon got a job selling cars in his year suspension. Why can't Ray?

Further proof she married the money and not Ray.

 

[retro44]

People keep saying that.

Dont you think its pretty ironic that the casino closed on 9/2/14 and TMZ posted it on 9/8/14?

The NFL could have very easily out bid TMZ for the video....this person wanted the truth to come out

 

[dollarbill44]

He doubled-down about not having access or seeing the video in his interview this morning. Expanding a coverup at this point in the media firestorm would not be a good strategy, so I'm inclined to believe him.

The NFL only contacted documentable sources during their investigation - law enforcement (definitely) and the hotel management (I assume, but not certain). A DA or someone said that law enforcement could not legally provide the tape to any outside parties, while the hotel was not obligated to and probably wouldn't want videotaped violence on their property to be circulated. On the other hand, releasing leaked videos is what TMZ does and they're pretty good at it. They have a network of sources and will pay for anything juicy.

I don't think we could expect much more from a corporate investigation, with the exception that once they learned that there was a tape, it isn't clear how hard they tried to find out what was on it even if they weren't allowed direct access to it. They could've showed Ray's deposition to the DA and just asked him if what's on the tape corroborates the story.

They could have also made arrangements with the DA to view the tape (off the record, of course) in lieu of being provided a copy. There's more than one way to get at the whole truth.

Also, anyone who thought there wasn't video of what happened in the elevator is just ignorant of life in America post 9/11. There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Anyone who has been in a casino and paid attention at all knows that there are cameras EVERYWHERE. Heck, every office building in NYC has cameras in the elevators and stairwells, at a minimum.

 

[dollarbill44]

The NFL could have very easily out bid TMZ for the video...this person wanted the truth to come out

Wait, so you think the video being leaked had something to do with the truth coming out??? It was all about money. Either the leaker (who was probably a security guard who got laid off when the casino closed) didn't shop around for buyers, or TMZ outbid everyone, including the NFL. I'm inclined to believe they just went to TMZ because it was the easiest route to money-kind of like dumping a used car off at a "cash-for-cars" place for a quick buck instead of making more $ by selling it on Craigslist.

 

[CusefanATL]

The NFL could have very easily out bid TMZ for the video...this person wanted the truth to come out

point being that the video was going to be leaked/sold until after 9/2/14.

By that point they were stuck b/w a rock and a hard place.

 

[BlazeOrange]

The NFL could have very easily out bid TMZ for the video...this person wanted the truth to come out

The NFL did a standard HR-style investigation - that's it. They don't have a team of Columbos on staff going through trashcans and shaking down informants.

They knew that there was video in the elevator, that the cops had it, and they weren't allowed access to it. So they moved on with what they had. Feel free to slam them about not going to the casino to see if other copies of the video were available, but I guess they could have concerns about obtaining something that the authorities told them they couldn't have. Also, since Ray and the woman were in agreement on their stories, there was no apparent need to dig further to resolve any discrepancies.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Also, since Ray and the woman were in agreement on their stories, there was no apparent need to dig further to resolve any discrepancies.

Are you serious?

 

[HOFCeluck]

Sounds like the NFL may have had the tape after all.

 

[Symphony Steve]

The tape makes the difference b/c it turns out that the NFL had it, according to AP. In fact, a woman from the NFL confirmed that they had the tape and described it as 'terrible'. On tape. The confirmation was in...April. Mortenson had a 'blow-by-blow' on the incident in bleeping JULY. And the NFL just couldn't get its hands on it?:

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20140910_ap_8f80d05261d24f90ba85ea29c8f9f4af.html

How the bleep could Goodell NOT know? BTW, the NFL has loads of Columbos...especially in the NY and Philly markets precisely BECAUSE of the proximity to the casinos. We're talking former FBI guys.

I'm thinking more and more that there was a cover-up and Goodell has gotten caught up in the middle of it.

One more point...the violence inherent in football is hard to turn off and on. As such, I think that its players are more likely to engage in this sort of behavior than in other sports. And that doesn't include those who have suffered brain damage and subsequently act out.

This story and its larger ramifications are not going away. We're closer to the beginning than the end.

 

[CusefanATL]

The tape makes the difference b/c it turns out that the NFL had it, according to AP. In fact, a woman from the NFL confirmed that they had the tape and described it as 'terrible'. On tape. The confirmation was in...April. Mortenson had a 'blow-by-blow' on the incident in bleeping JULY. And the NFL just couldn't get its hands on it?:

That being said... Mort called it kind of an open faced slap and she kind of knocked herself out on the handrail. He did say he heard it was disturbing, but he seemed OK with the 2 game suspension.

I know this because this the reason I defended the NFL originally for the 2 game decision. Boy was I wrong, but boy was Mort's source wrong.

 

[retro44]

The NFL did a standard HR-style investigation - that's it. They don't have a team of Columbos on staff going through trashcans and shaking down informants.

They knew that there was video in the elevator, that the cops had it, and they weren't allowed access to it. So they moved on with what they had. Feel free to slam them about not going to the casino to see if other copies of the video were available, but I guess they could have concerns about obtaining something that the authorities told them they couldn't have. Also, since Ray and the woman were in agreement on their stories, there was no apparent need to dig further to resolve any discrepancies.

"He also was charged in 2000 with murder and obstruction of justice in the stabbing deaths of two men with whom he and his friend quarreled at a nightclub after a Super Bowl party. Lewis’s white suit, which was alleged to have been splattered with blood, never was found.
Prosecutors dropped murder charges against Lewis in exchange for his misdemeanor plea to obstruction of justice and his agreement to testify — somewhat vaguely — against two of his friends. Those men were acquitted "