The decision by the Ravens and the NFL came just hours after TMZ published the video on its website.
But it was already known through an earlier video and Rice’s own public statements that he had assaulted his wife. There also appeared to be no real effort by the Ravens or the league to obtain the video or seriously investigate the incident.
The NFL has now called in a former FBI director to examine how it pursued and handled evidence in the Rice domestic violence case as pressure increased for the league to be more transparent about its original investigation.
The move came late on Wednesday hours after The Associated Press reported that a law enforcement officer said he sent an NFL executive a video in April that showed Rice striking his then-fiancee at a casino. Goodell has maintained that no one in the NFL saw the video until it was released by TMZ Sports on Monday.
The team and the league initially downplayed the incident.
Immediately after the incident became known, the Ravens said on Twitter: “Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role she played the night of the incident.” The tweet was just deleted this past Monday.
After admitting he made a mistake, Goodell last month announced tougher penalties against players who commit domestic violence.
The Ravens and the league’s actions appear to be more of a reaction to a public relations nightmare to protect a billion dollar business than any genuine concern about the issue of domestic abuse.
Domestic violence is a longstanding societal problem. Nearly 3 in 10 women and 1 and 10 men in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by a partner, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still too many blame the victims or attempt to rationalize the behavior.
The CDC says: “A key strategy in preventing intimate partner violence is the promotion of respectful, nonviolent intimate partner relationships through individual, community, and societal level change.”
The outrage expressed by so many after seeing the Rice video is hopefully a positive sign that society is changing its views on domestic violence.
(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
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