NFL fumbled Ray Rice case, investigator says
NEW YORK -- A former FBI director hired to look into how the NFL pursued evidence in the Ray Rice domestic abuse case says the league should have investigated the incident more thoroughly before it initially punished the player.
Robert Mueller released the report Thursday, saying that the NFL had substantial information about the case and could have obtained more.
Mueller says that he can find no evidence the league received the video showing Rice striking his fiancee before it was published online in September. A law enforcement official showed The Associated Press a video of the incident and said he mailed it to NFL headquarters in April.
The report says a review of phone records and emails of NFL employees backs up statements from Commissioner Roger Goodell that nobody had seen the video before the league initially suspended Rice.
Mueller said that "investigation found no evidence that the NFL received the in-elevator video before its public release on September 8, 2014."
According to the report, Mueller and his team reviewed millions of documents, emails and texts. They interviewed more than 200 NFL employees and contractors and a digital forensics team searched computers and phones of senior league executives, including Goodell.
After TMZ publicly released the graphic video, Goodell told "CBS This Morning" anchor Norah O'Donnell that no one at the league had viewed the tape.
"We were not granted that," Goodell said. "We were told that was not something we would have access to. On multiple occasions, we asked for it. And on multiple occasions we were told no."
While Mueller backed up Goodell's claim, the report sharply criticized the league for its "deference to law enforcement" for handling such matters.
"The NFL's deference to law enforcement can foster an environment in which it is less important to understand precisely what a player did than to understand how and when the criminal justice system addresses the event," the report said.
Mueller's report details some of the efforts the NFL made in obtaining the video, but said the league should have taken additional steps to find out what happened inside the elevator.
"League investigators did not contact any of the police officers who investigated the incident, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, or the Revel to attempt to obtain or view the in-elevator video or to obtain other information," the report said. "No one from the League asked Rice or his lawyer whether they would make available for viewing the in-elevator video they received as part of criminal discovery in early April."
Goodell released a statement Thursday saying the league accepts Mueller's findings and recommendations.
"While this investigation has now concluded, our focus on the underlying issues and our commitment to positive change remain as strong as ever," Goodell said. "We have all learned a great deal in the past months and expect to be judged by how we lead going forward on issues of domestic violence and sexual assault."
Giants owner John Mara and Steelers President Art Rooney, the men appointed by Goodell as liaisons to the investigation, said the 32 team owners were briefed in a conference call Thursday morning.
They all expressed their belief Goodell told the truth throughout the investigation. They reiterated their backing of Goodell, whose job never appeared in jeopardy despite the missteps by the league in the Rice case and calls for scrutiny of him from outside groups.
"There was resounding support for Roger," Rooney said. "There's a very strong confidence in Roger going forward in terms of him being the commissioner of the league."
Last month, NFL owners unanimously approved changes to the league's personal-conduct policy , but Goodell will retain authority to rule on appeals.
After the Rice and Adrian Peterson cases, a more extensive list of prohibited conduct will be included in the policy, as well as specific criteria for paid leave for anyone charged with a violent crime.