Dang. Scooped by 8 minutes by Front Pager Laura Clawson :o)
Breaking from AP: LE official confirming he sent a copy of the elevator security tape to NFL executive back on April 8 or 9. There is also a 12-second voicemail from NFL offices confirming receipt of said video tape.
A law enforcement official says he sent a video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee to an NFL executive five months ago, while league executives have insisted they didn't see the violent images until this week.
The person played The Associated Press a 12-second voicemail from an NFL office number on April 9 confirming the video arrived. A female voice expresses thanks and says: "You're right. It's terrible."
The law enforcement official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, says he had no further communication with any NFL employee and can't confirm anyone watched the video. The person said he was unauthorized to release the video but shared it unsolicited, because he wanted the NFL to have it before deciding on Rice's punishment.
Bear in mind NFL sources and Commisioner Roger Goodell have been in damage control since Monday 9/8 when TMZ released this 2nd video. Goodell was on CBS last night continuing his position that neither he nor any NFL exec had seen the volatile video until this Monday. Goodell repeated his position that the NFL had tried to get the video from law enforcement - never asking the casino at all! - to no avail :
As for the tape, Goodell said the league "asked for it on multiple occasions. We asked law enforcement and they were not willing to provide it. I think they were under some legal requirements not to provide it, as I understand it."
Goodell told CBS on Tuesday that "no one in the NFL, to my knowledge" had seen a new video of what happened on the elevator until it was posted online.
"We assumed that there was a video. We asked for video. But we were never granted that opportunity," Goodell said.
As Keith Olbermann and others have pointed out: it's ludicrous to think the billions-dollar business entity (NFL) couldn't ask the right folks to get a copy of this video tape. It's
almost as if Goodell didn't want to see the tape...
Last night Goodell also said he/NFL was never quite sure what happened in the elevator that night. Uh, whut? You didn't Ask Ray Rice to tell you, exactly, what happened?
Terry O'Neill, the president of the National Organization for Women, has called for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to resign, citing Ray Rice's assault on his now-wife as just one of many examples of the league's failure to act against domestic violence.
"The NFL has lost its way. It doesn't have a Ray Rice problem; it has a violence against women problem," O'Neill said in a statement. "... The only workable solution is for Roger Goodell to resign and for his successor to appoint an independent investigator with full authority to gather factual data about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking within the NFL community and to recommend real and lasting reforms."
Ouch.
If you've seen Goodell's interview on CBS he sure reminds me of Gov Christie: he didn't know. He asked for the tape, but they said no. Dunno (shrug)
meh
UPDATE: The NFL is on it!
The NFL on Wednesday said it is looking into an Associated Press report that a league executive received in April a copy of the video in which Ray Rice punched his now-wife in the face. "We have no knowledge of this. We are not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on Monday. We will look into it," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Eman in comments said "Resign? No. Fired!" Right on. Polls can not be edited. :o(