Updates from Wednesday, Sept. 10

The Associated Press reported a major development concerning the tape from inside the elevator:

FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo has the NFL's response:

FOX Sports' Pete Schrager had more on Goodell:

CBS' Norah O'Donnell had more on the NFL's stance:

The AP had more detail as well:

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 they were unauthorized to release the video but shared it unsolicited, because they wanted the NFL to have it before deciding on Rice's punishment.

Mark Maske of The Washington Post had more from Goodell after the newest development:

Josh Margolin, Darren Rovell and Aaron Katersky of ABC News report that the Ravens were aware of the tape as well:

But two sources briefed on the incident and behind-the-scenes discussions regarding the tape told ABC News that the Ravens knew that the tape existed and knew what was on the tape almost immediately after the incident.

(...)

The Ravens team also asked the hotel for the full video, but were told by the Revel they couldn't give it out to anyone except someone who was a party to what's on the tape or to law enforcement, the sources said. But Revel officials told the team that Rice's attorney had a copy and the Ravens should ask the lawyer for the tape, the sources told ABC News.

The Ravens did not ask Rice or his lawyer for a copy of the video. Instead, the Ravens and the NFL asked law enforcement for the video which declined to give it up.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports on what this could mean for multiple people involved:

Jaguars guard Zane Beadles commented on the new allegations: 

Terry O'Neill, the president for the National Organization for Women, issued a statement calling for Roger Goodell to resign (via ESPN.com news services):

The NFL has lost its way. It doesn't have a Ray Rice problem; it has a violence against women problem. ... 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.

(...)

The NFL sets the example for college, high school, middle school and even elementary school football programs. And the example it is setting right now is simply unacceptable. New leadership must come in with a specific charge to transform the culture of violence against women that pervades the NFL. That's the only way to restore honor and integrity to the country's most lucrative and popular pastime.

 

Original Text

Amid rampant criticism over his handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence case, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sat down with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell on Tuesday to discuss Rice's future and deny that anyone in the league office had seen the harrowing video leaked by TMZ Monday morning.

"We had not seen any video tape of what occurred in the elevator. We assumed that there was a video, we asked for the video, we asked for anything that was pertinent, but we were never granted that opportunity," Goodell said, per CBS News.   

CBS News also provided the full transcript of the interview. 

Rice, 27, was released by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the league hours after TMZ published an elevator surveillance video that showed him striking his then-fiancee. He is seen striking Janay Palmer twice, once with a glancing blow and again when she charged toward him, this time with a closed fist. Palmer fell and hit her head on the elevator railing after being struck, leaving her unconscious.

Warning: The following video contains graphic footage.

"It was something we saw for the first time today, all of us. It changed things, of course. It made things a little bit different," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Monday night.

Goodell initially suspended Rice for two games in July after he pleaded guilty to lesser charges related to the assault to avoid jail time. The decision was roundly criticized by media and fans alike, and at the time the NFL had access to a video showing Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of the elevator. 

While Goodell has consistently said he didn't get the punishment right, he told O'Donnell that seeing Rice strike Palmer put the incident in a different perspective:

The NFL commissioner also said he wouldn't "rule out" Rice returning to football but would need to see progress on him "addressing this issue," per Albert Breer of NFL Network.

Reaction since Rice's release and suspension has been split. Some have viewed it as public outcry backing Goodell and the Ravens into an inescapable corner—one where the only possible action was Rice's dismissal. Others have applauded the league for finally taking a stand, even while acknowledging something should have been done a long time ago.

Palmer, who has since married Rice, sent out a now-deleted Instagram message criticizing the media and public for their part in the aftermath of the video's release:

"I have to be strong for my wife," Rice told ESPN's Josina Anderson in his first public comments since Monday. "She is so strong...We are in good spirits. We have a lot of people praying for us and we 'll continue to support each other. I have to be there for [Janay] and my family right now and work through this."

Other critics of Goodell have wondered how the NFL—the most powerful sports entity in the United States, if not the world—could not get its hands on the second tape when TMZ, an outlet best known for its celebrity gossip, managed to get it. Acknowledging that he doesn't know how TMZ obtained the video, Goodell insinuated the outlet may have used "not credible" sources:

The issue of domestic violence in sports and criticism of Goodell's handling of the Rice case will not disappear anytime soon. Goodell said nothing to O'Donnell he hadn't said previously. The league claims to have not seen the second video, though a police report did specifically state Rice struck Palmer with his hand and knocked her unconscious.

Goodell's sit-down interview largely just reiterated league-mandated statements. Perhaps the most noteworthy takeaway was Goodell indicating he would not step down from the commissionership, as Breer noted:

As it does in today's society, the firestorm will eventually die down. Time eventually causes even the most fervent criticism to wane, and the only people who can force Goodell's hand to resign are NFL owners. 

It bears watching whether anyone behind the scenes takes that step. For now, Goodell would certainly like to get the focus back on the field before Week 2.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter