In a story that isn’t going to die down anytime soon, the Associated Press is reporting that a law enforcement official sent a copy of the Ray Rice tape to NFL head of security Jeffrey Miller.
The video of Ray Rice punching his fiancee inside a casino elevator was sent to NFL headquarters to the attention of league security chief Jeffrey Miller in April, a law enforcement official says.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release details of the case, said he doesn’t know if Miller ever saw the DVD or opened the package. His only communication with the NFL was a 12-second voicemail on April 9 from league offices confirming receipt of the package, in which a woman says, “You’re right. It’s terrible.”
Miller himself issued a response to the AP report (via NFL Media).
I unequivocally deny that I received at any time a copy of the video and I had not watched it until it was made public on September 8.
The AP source had this to say after lifting restrictions about what the media outlet could report on Thursday.
Since the NFLPA and NFL have launched separate investigations into the league and the Ravens’ handling of Ray Rice’s case, I want to make a few things clear. No one from the NFL ever asked me for the inside-elevator video,” the official said Thursday. “I mailed it anonymously to Jeff Miller because he’s their head of security. I attached a note saying: ‘Ray Rice elevator video. You have to see it. It’s terrible.’ I provided a number for a disposable cellphone and asked for confirmation that it was received. I knew there was a possibility Mr. Miller may not get the video, but I hoped it would land in the right hands.
The NFL has repeatedly denied that anyone in the league office saw the video of Ray Rice beating his then fiancee in a casino elevator back in February.
This comes on the heels of a report by ESPN indicating that there were major cover ups from both the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens organization as it relates to how the Rice situation was handled prior to TMZ releasing the aforementioned video.
Either some people within the power structure of the NFL are engaging in an epic cover up or there is a certain level of ineptitude that needs to be answered to here.