Ray Rice Video Punching Wife Inside Elevator Obtained by NFL April Contrary to Roger Goodell's Claim

The closed-circuit television footage inside an Atlantic City casino elevator showing Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice, punching his then-fiancee and now wife, Janay Rice, was sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell five months ago, a law enforcement official, who refused to be identified, claimed. 

An Associate Press report said that the official played back a 12-second voicemail from the NFL office last Nov. 9 which confirmed that the video was already received. The report added that a female voice even said thanks and added "You're right. It's terrible."

The law enforcement official shared that he sent the NFL the video to let it know of the circumstances of the incident before deciding on the punishment to be given to Rice. He also noted that he included his contact information with the DVD copy of the video for reference.

Goodell, however, told the media earlier that he only saw the violent footage this week. The league, according to AP, also claimed that no one from them saw the video until it was released by TMZ on Monday.

"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 spokesperson Brian McCarthy said.

Rice initially received a two-game suspension after the incident that happened in February. Recent turn of events, however, prompted the Ravens to cut ties with him and the NFL putting him on indefinite suspension.

"We assumed that there was a video. We asked for video. But we were never granted that opportunity," Goodell said in reaction to the released footage inside the elevator.

AP added that through a memo, Goodell maintained that the league asked the police for the video and not the casino management. "In the context of a criminal investigation, information obtained outside of law enforcement that has not been tested by prosecutors or by the court system is not necessarily a reliable basis for imposing league discipline." 

In view of these recent events, twelve democrats on the House Judiciary Committee has already called for "greater transparency" in the league, noting that Goodell did not act fast enough to give Rice what he deserved.

Many people have already called for Goodell's resignation, including sports commentator, Keith Olbermann.

In a Huffington Post article, his message for Goodell read, "You have already forfeited your privilege of resigning because to restore just the slightest credibility to the den of liars, CYA specialists and investigators whose job it is to bury whatever they actually find, the owners and the NFL need to publicly and loudly fire you."