Roger Goodell on Ray Rice: 'We had not seen any videotape'
In a CBS News report airing Tuesday night, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke about Ray Rice for the first time since suspending the former Ravens running back indefinitely.
Rice was cut by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended by the NFL hours after TMZ.com released video of him striking his then-fiancée Janay Palmer in an Atlantic City casino in February.
"I don't know how TMZ or any other web site gets their information. We are particularly reliant on law enforcement," Goodell said.
"We had not seen any videotape of what occurred in the elevator. We assumed that there was a video. We asked for anything that's pertinent. But we were never granted that opportunity," he told CBS's Norah O'Donnell.
Goodell said he saw the video of Rice striking Palmer for the first time on Monday morning. "What we saw yesterday was extremely clear, extremely graphic, and it was sickening, and that is why we took that action," he said.
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When asked about the possibility of Rice playing again, the commissioner said, "I don't rule that out, but we would have to be fully confident he is addressing this issue."
On Monday, it was reported teams were informed that any contact between them and Rice won’t be approved or take effect until further direction from Goodell’s office.
The NFL initially suspended Rice for two games for the incident, a punishment that drew criticism. That criticism increased after the video's release Monday.
Goodell was asked about calls for him to step down from his position, responding "No, I'm used to the criticism, I'm used to that. Every day I have to earn my stripes."
On Tuesday, TMZ.com reported that the NFL never asked the casino to see elevator security video. The league responded with a statement saying it had asked authorities for elevator footage.
SI cover details what Rice video exposes about NFL
Earlier Tuesday, Rice made his first comments since his release by the Ravens. Janay Rice also broke her silence Tuesday morning with an Instagram post, calling the situation a "horrible nightmare."
- Molly Geary
