BREAKING: Ray Rice released by Ravens, suspended indefinitely

[NFLfan]

But if a person chooses to be a model (or other profession where they are objectified - which I'm sure we can all think of some of the obvious ones), its hard to incorporate the objectification of men/women under the sexist argument. Is a person really sexist if they choose to profit off of modeling? I think not.

But everyone has their opinions. To me, sexism is more about equal rights. The right to vote, the right to be considered a male's equal when it comes to job performance where they are equally capable of performing the same job, etc. I just don't see how someone's choice to display their body for money (a freedom of speech/expression issue by the way, not equal protection) is sexist. It's a personal choice that's disagreeable, not prohibitive of the right to be treated the same as men or race, IMO.

Well stated.

[DougDew]

TMZ said they're got a bombshell this afternoon.  It's reported TMZ will hold a press conference about how they know the NFL saw this tape earlier and did nothing, and it might get Roger Goodell fired.

 

How this new footage was found and released....well a worker at the casino kept it and waited for the casino to go out of business to then publicly release it so he wouldn't get sued by the casino.

 

Ray Rice is gone, Roger Goodell should be too...

http://blog.sfgate.com/killion/2014/09/08/ray-rice-gone-goodell-should-be-too/

 

.....for doctoring the tape and selling it to TMZ.   Is that how the sentence is to be completed?

 

Hate to bring up the Sterling name....but TMZ seems to be 2 for 2 in taking advantage of someone else's (probably) illegal handling of source documents and profiting off of their sale.  Paying for this kind of material could be seen as encouraging criminal activity.

 

I hope people figure out what Harvey Levin is before someone else loses their job.....

[OffensivelyPC]

I don't care whether it was an isolated incident or not That makes no difference to me. I know that I would not want that video shown over and over if my sister was a victim of that assault. Whether it was the first time, or just another day in her life. It has to be difficult for her to relive that assault over and over now. As a father of two young women, I don't know what I would do if my daughter was assaulted like that. It might motivate me to commit a crime.

Still, the bottom line is that I believe the NFL front office either saw this video, or knew it was out there and tried to just blow it off. They did this because they didn't want anything to have a negative effect on ratings. The Commissioner willing turned a blind eye to it so he could have "plausible deniability" later. In other words, Goodell knew the video was out there and chose not to see it.

Leaders don't look for ways to have plausible deniability. He thought the league dodged the bullet when a New Jersey court let Rice off with a slap on the wrist.

I think Goodell needs to be replaced. I think his focus is only on marketing and selling a product. I believe he thinks enforcing standards of conduct and discipline that goes with his position is secondary and a nuisance. He's fine with hiding anything if it could damage his product. His priorities are backwards.

Goodell needs to go. If I was an NFL owner, I would publicly call for his firing.

I don't think he needs to go simply because whoever else is inducted will do practically the same thing.  He is, afterall, a highly priced mouthpiece for the owners.  But if there's one thing I do agree with you on, i'ts that I'd rather have someone who tends to lean on full disclosure than to turn a blind eye and hope for the best.  Taht is one of the biggest reasons they had the concussion litigation to begin with.  Like any other human being, you're going to make mistakes, whether you're Ray Rice or Roger Goodell.  The least you could do is own up to them and work with those around you to make sure it doesn't happen again.  At teh same token, I get in part why the NFL isn't fully forthcoming with certain aspects of the league.  When the media and NFLPA is constantly bombarding you for your head, then what's the point of full disclosure when, no matter what you do, it will be heavily criticized?  Goodell can't win no matter what he does.  So I see both sides of the coin in this instance.  To me, all parties involved handled this situation poorly, from the state prosecutors, to the Ravens, to Rice and to the NFL.  Using this as a vehicle to fire Goodell doesn't do much in my opinion.  It's just a convenient way to lay blame, considering that the next commissioner will just be doing exactly what Goodell has been.

[NFLfan]

Where in the world are you getting that from? Just because I didn't like your Keith Olbermann post you suddenly believe I endorse the beating of all women?

Look, I've been consistent in my position all along 1. Firing a guy doesn't solve the problem of domestic violence especially for a person who has never been in trouble with the law prior to now, 2. the league & the Ravens saw this tape long before yesterday I'm not that gullible, 3. some women not all women do marry men strictly for the perks & financial advantages, 4. I am not in any way, shape, or form implying that the woman caused this response, but should a brief, grainy videotape ruin a man's life when he has done good things for the Baltimore community? Yes, Ray struck his wife of his own free will & even if he was was angry at her, he never should have struck her, but I don't go from he's a decent guy to burn him at the stake like some people in the media like Mr. Olbermann do apparently.

Were did I ever saw he should not be prosecuted or face justice? Show me that post please. I'd love to see it that actually. I didn't. When I said he's not a monster, I merely meant that he's not on the same level of a serial rapist or child molester like some in the media are trying to imply like he's a degenerate S.O.B. who deserves to be torn from limb to limb.

I did not post the Keith Olbermann video. It was MTC who did. I only wrote that I did not agree with having Ray Rice present while Goodell met with Mrs. Rice. You don't have to LIKE it. I don't keep track of such things.

[thedude]

I don't think he needs to go simply because whoever else is inducted will do practically the same thing. He is, afterall, a highly priced mouthpiece for the owners.

I don't believe another commissioner would have handled this the same way. I think Goodell either lied about seeing the newly disclosed video, or willingly ignored it so he could have plausible deniability when it goes public.

He's either incompetent, dishonest or both. He should go.

[Valpo2004]

I agree with you. I wrote in an earlier post that Ray Rice should have been prosecuted and should have done jail time. However, where you and I disagree is on whether the NFL should also punish him. The NFL punishes players for conduct detrimental to the image of the league. I don't think Rice should be banned from playing again, as I believe in second and third chances, but he should miss more than 2 games. What he did was horrific!

 

I'm not saying the NFL shouldn't punish him.  I'm saying that the collective interest in people in what the NFL's punishment is blinds us to the real problem which is that the prosecutors and courts let him off that easily.  

 

It's just a set of really messed up priorities which leads the public to question what the NFL is doing about domestic violence and not ask the question about what our courts are doing about it.

 

When Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder, I wasn't real concerned as to if Goodell was going to suspend him, I don't even know if he did or not and quite frankly I don't care.

 

But I do care if he gets a fair trial and if he's convicted if his punishment will fit his crime.  If those things happen I'm happy, I don't care if Goodell suspends him or not. 

[OffensivelyPC]

I don't believe another commissioner would have handled this the same way. I think Goodell either lied about seeing the newly disclosed video, or willingly ignored it so he could have plausible deniability when it goes public.

He's either incompetent, dishonest or both. He should go.

Well whether he saw the video is sitll a point of contention.  I am not by the minute up to date on teh facts of this, but from all that I've read, the police didn't disclose the video and they were otherwise unable to get it.  Now that may be, as you say, willingly done in that they purposefully didn't search very hard.  I don't know and I don't want to presume one way or the other.  If it does turn out to be true what you are saying, then yes, he did handle this dishonestly, incompetently, or both.  But if that's the case, the NFLPA and the Ravens dropped the ball, too.  Why couldn't the Ravens or NFLPA done it's due diligence or in the alternative, get a free pass while Goodell does not?  Moreover, why would the police, who presumably would have had the video choose not to disclose it and and then lay down such a weak punishment?  If this is a fireable offense for Goodell, it's a fireable offense for a great deal of other key people in this whole saga.  In any case, the whole thing stinks to high heaven.  I do think that someone somewhere is not telling the truth.

[thedude]

Well whether he saw the video is sitll a point of contention. 

If this is a fireable offense for Goodell, it's a fireable offense for a great deal of other key people in this whole saga.  In any case, the whole thing stinks to high heaven.  I do think that someone somewhere is not telling the truth.

I don't care if he didn't see it. I believe he did, but even if he didn't, he didn't because he chose to ignore it. The guy in charge can't ignore his duty to his position. He's either a liar or an incompetent boob. Makes no difference.

And I agree with your second part. He's not the only one. Others have either lied or chosen to ignore something they knew it was wrong to ignore.

[southwest1]

I did not post the Keith Olbermann video. It was MTC who did. I only wrote that I did not agree with having Ray Rice present while Goodell met with Mrs. Rice. You don't have to LIKE it. I don't keep track of such things.

Okay, fair enough. I made a false assumption there. My apologies.

 

Keith Olbermann is a bright guy & I do enjoy listening to him from time to time. It's just that when he gets in his preachy, pulpit mode sometimes his ego makes me tune out. There's a fine line between passion, self confidence, & holier than thou absolutism, which probably accounts for why he's been fired & hired back. He knows how to get a rise & reaction of people just like Howard Stern. He knows what buttons to push & when to push them. He's quite good at it actually. 

 

I thought you posted the video about Keith's rant about what the league knew & when they knew it, but if I made that mistake, I will own up to it. 

 

My problem with firing someone prior to facing a prison sentence is that we in this nation are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Once that happens, terminate the contract not before then. Firing a guy outright without due process infringes on Mr. Ray's constitutional rights & it shoves the problem of domestic violence deeper underground which makes the problem much worse. 

 

True, right now there is no prison sentence on the horizon I will admit that, but I don't like how some people are so quick to crucify a person prior to knowing all the facts. Gathering information is a methodical, slow, & time consuming process that must be handled correctly with no witch hunts automatically assuming every guy is a caboose hole immediately out of the gate. 

[thedude]

  Why couldn't the Ravens or NFLPA done it's due diligence or in the alternative, get a free pass while Goodell does not?  .

I've never suggested the Ravens are innocent. I'm sure their management knew the same things Goodell knew.

[IcEWoLF]

Check out the latest Ray Rice Meme: http://forums.colts.com/topic/29780-official-nfl-meme-thread/?p=873276

Just make sure you are not eating anything infront of your computer!

[DougDew]

Well whether he saw the video is sitll a point of contention.  I am not by the minute up to date on teh facts of this, but from all that I've read, the police didn't disclose the video and they were otherwise unable to get it.  Now that may be, as you say, willingly done in that they purposefully didn't search very hard.  I don't know and I don't want to presume one way or the other.  If it does turn out to be true what you are saying, then yes, he did handle this dishonestly, incompetently, or both.  But if that's the case, the NFLPA and the Ravens dropped the ball, too.  Why couldn't the Ravens or NFLPA done it's due diligence or in the alternative, get a free pass while Goodell does not?  Moreover, why would the police, who presumably would have had the video choose not to disclose it and and then lay down such a weak punishment?  If this is a fireable offense for Goodell, it's a fireable offense for a great deal of other key people in this whole saga.  In any case, the whole thing stinks to high heaven.  I do think that someone somewhere is not telling the truth.

Always reasonable responses.....

 

I have to ask.....what would be Goodell's motivation for lying about seeing the video?  Are people arguing that he did see the video...thought it was no big deal...then suspended Rice 2 games...then lied that he didn't see it?   Huh? 

 

If he did see the video, couldn't he just have observed what he thought looked like an argument between two intimate people, and didn't bother to try to dive deeply into the relationship?   Especially if SHE told him that's exactly what it was..as she explains to him what he is seeing on the tape as he's watching it. And also took the lead from the court decision. 

 

Is Rice really that important to the league for him to be dishonest about what he thinks is appropriate punishment? 

 

I think some people just harbor a bitterness towards people in power and just blindly associate them with lying and hypocrisy.

[Sports Central1]

.....for doctoring the tape and selling it to TMZ.   Is that how the sentence is to be completed?

 

Hate to bring up the Sterling name....but TMZ seems to be 2 for 2 in taking advantage of someone else's (probably) illegal handling of source documents and profiting off of their sale.  Paying for this kind of material could be seen as encouraging criminal activity.

 

I hope people figure out what Harvey Levin is before someone else loses their job.....

 

How did the worker or TMZ doctor up the tape?  Did he or TMZ send the tape to a Hollywood studio and hire Michael Bay's CGi team to digitally create Ray punching his wife knocking her out unconscious?

 

Ray Rice on video punched his wife and knocked her out.  That's assault.  That's video evidence.

 

There is no evidence of doctoring of the tape.  It's just a new tape that wasn't seen before by the public.  There is a possibility the video was seen by the NFL and Ravens and covered up.

 

You may not like snitches and certain methods used to expose bad people, but Sterling and Rice got exposed for who they really are.

[thedude]

 

I think some people just harbor a bitterness towards people in power and just blindly associate them with lying and hypocrisy.

I will admit that I am always skeptical of people in positions of power. It doesn't help reduce my skepticism when often times people in positions of power continue to prove to be hypocritical liars.

I think it's easy for people in powerful positions to become basically intoxicated by their power. Especially when a person is in charge of one of the most popular things in our culture and it brings in hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

I would fire him today if it was within my authority.

[OffensivelyPC]

Always reasonable responses.....

 

I have to ask.....what would be Goodell's motivation for lying about seeing the video?  Are people arguing that he did see the video...thought it was no big deal...then suspended Rice 2 games...then lied that he didn't see it?   Huh? 

 

If he did see the video, couldn't he just have observed what he thought looked like an argument between two intimate people, and didn't bother to try to dive deeply into the relationship?   Especially if SHE told him that's exactly what it was..as she explains to him what he is seeing on the tape as he's watching it. And also took the lead from the court decision. 

 

Is Rice really that important to the league for him to be dishonest about what he thinks is appropriate punishment? 

 

I think some people just harbor a bitterness towards people in power and just blindly associate them with lying and hypocrisy.

Thanks and the same to you.  Makes for better discussions, but we all lose our cool from time to time. 

 

Anyway, I have no clue what Goodell's motivation would be.  That's just what doesn't make sense.  I can accept that some people believe he saw the video, but I haven't really received a very acceptable answer as to why he would deny ever having seen the video  (which if it were true, I suppose there would be no acceptable answer to lie about it).  To me, if he didn't see the video and couldn't otherwise have gotten ahold of it, his actions are reasonable in my eyes despite the suspension of 2 games being too low.  That of course changes if he could have gotten it and willingly chose to not exhaust all reasonable outlets.  I suppose that's something up for discussion should it ever come to fruition.

 

If he did see it, I think the only motivation that makes sense is that he waited on the prosecution to come down with a punishment, and curtail the NFL's punishment to something of a similar nature, assuming there would be some criticism.  If there's one thing that I am sure is an absolute truth in this whole thing, it's that Goodell never saw the media and public reation being to the degree it actually ended up being.  Nevertheless, in relying to some degree on the prosecution, my guess is that he wanted to protect Ray Rice's privacy in hopes that the video would never be released (of course, assuming Goodell had the video).  Then, when it all hit the fan, they played the cover your butt game.  But to me, I still just don't get why any of that would matter because the video just shows exactly what everyone already knew - that Ray hit his wife.  The image is of course grotesque, sure.  But the fact remains, the NFL knew Ray hit his wife and the video doesn't change that.  If anything, the video only shows that the two game suspension was unacceptable, not sufficient motivation for covering up the severity of the matter given that the video doesn't change the material facts.  So like I said, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

[jvan1973]

I will admit that I am always skeptical of people in positions of power. It doesn't help reduce my skepticism when often times people in positions of power continue to prove to be hypocritical liars.

I think it's easy for people in powerful positions to become basically intoxicated by their power. Especially when a person is in charge of one of the most popular things in our culture and it brings in hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

I would fire him today if it was within my authority.

He is under contract until 2018. So I'm sure he would take that 160 million dollar severance and live very comfortable for the rest of his life

[Patagonia Chris]

Here's the thing about all of this that I can't understand yet. What did the NFL expect this incident to look like? He's dragging his unconscious fiance out of an elevator. What exactly did Roger Goodell think happened in that elevator? The NFL had seen the tapes, and if they hadn't it was because they didn't want to. So now Ray Rice is getting scapegoated by the media and anyone with a social media account. On the other hand, the NFL is just going to allow guys like Ray McDonad and Greg Hardy to continue playing when their offenses were possibly worse than Ray Rice's? Hardy choked a female and had repeatedly threatened to kill her, multiple times, not just an isolated incident like Rice's. McDonald hit his pregnant fiance at a birthday party. McDonald and Hardy both played for their teams on Sunday and will play this weekend for their teams. The most troubling aspect of all of this for me is that had Rice's incident happened in the confines of his own home, is it even a story? Does he even get suspended? Goodell needs to come down on guys like McDonald and Hardy the way he did Ray Rice. I can't stand the hypocrisy that has been shown repeatedly by the executives and coaches in the NFL. Everyone is condemning Rice, yet we hardly hear a word about McDonald and Hardy. The best way to sum it all up was by a tweet that I saw that said, "The Ravens didn't release Ray Rice when they saw the video, they released Ray Rice when YOU saw the video." This whole ordeal is one giant PR move for the NFL. Does the NFL and Roger Goodell care about domestic violence? Maybe, but they care more about their fans opinions than they do about protecting the victims of their players.

[oldunclemark]

How did the worker or TMZ doctor up the tape?  Did he or TMZ send the tape to a Hollywood studio and hire Michael Bay's CGi team to digitally create Ray punching his wife knocking her out unconscious?

 

Ray Rice on video punched his wife and knocked her out.  That's assault.  That's video evidence. 

There is no evidence of doctoring of the tape.  It's just a new tape that wasn't seen before by the public.  There is a possibility the video was seen by the NFL and Ravens and covered up. 

You may not like snitches and certain methods used to expose bad people, but Sterling and Rice got exposed for who they really are.

That's the bottom line. Ray Rice is the bad guy. Not Roger Goddell..not TMZ..Not the Baltimore Ravens..

we need a scapegoat because the courts let him off...

The NFL and the Ravens did all they could do. You can argue that they should have done it sooner. You can ask why it took so long.

But the bottom line is: Northing the NFL or the ravens did or could have done will stop Ray Rice from beating his wife.

That was solely the job of the courts and they took a pass.

[OffensivelyPC]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11494073/nfl-says-ray-rice-video-was-sought-multiple-sources

 

So it seems that the NFL asked both the NJ police and Atlantic City police for the video. There seems to be some jurisdictional barriers at play here, basically the NJ police investigates things "in the casino" and the AC police investigates things that happened "in the elevator" - which I take to be that NJSP handles things within the confines of the room where gambling occurs and the ACSP handles everything else. At any rate, it seesm that the NFL was prohibited by the ACSP from obtaining a copy of the video because it would have been illegal for the ACSP to disclose anything to private non-law enforcement entity if that evidence is subject to grand jury proceedings.

 

So I guess the next question is, how did TMZ get a copy of the video and the NFL couldn't?  If it was illegal for the ACSP to disclose it, I have to think that TMZ acquired it illegally, hiding behind it's "sources."  This whole thing is so weird.

[Synthetic]

Roger Goodell does not take domestic violence against women seriously.

 

As much as he loves suspending people, he obviously don't really care when it's violence on women.

 

He doesn't see it as a big deal, but he obviously sees substance abuse off the field as a big problem.

 

Just remember this; the Ravens and the NFL did not give a crap at all until you seen that second video. It wasn't a big deal worth him being released until you seen the video. All this talk about how "classy" the league is, get real. The Ravens didn't care at all before this second video was released, and Roger Goodell clearly didn't give a crap either. Now all of a sudden they are trying to look good in the press and cover themselves while the second video released is all over the place.

 

As much as Goodell loves suspending the hell out of people for substance abuse and other things, why didn't he just suspend Rice hard after the incident? He didn't. They waited until you seen the second video leak, then they suspend him harder, the Ravens cut him, the NFL is clearly trying to save their good guy badge image of "class" by doing this.

They only care when the media leaks a second video detailing it and reaffirming the already known facts, he knocked the crap out of his girlfriend.

They only released him after a second video leaked, a second video which just reaffirmed the original, which shows him dragging her out of the elevator. You didn't need a second video to reevaluate the point that he knocked her out. The NFL needed it however cause now they have to pretend they aren't a bunch of misogynist corporate shills that hold up this image, so now they harshly punish him, only after the country gets a reality check on the incident.

 

Let us not forget the whole "we don't put up with this" statement Goodell made a few weeks ago. Everyone claps their hands and says yeah over that. Goodell is one of the biggest clowns in the media, as Ray MacDonald still got to start Sunday.

 

People need to get over this obsession with how "classy" they want this barbaric entertainment to be, and just admit it, the NFL is misogynist, as it is homophobic. Female fans, I feel for you, cause this league clearly don't care about you whatsoever.

[Sports Central1]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11494073/nfl-says-ray-rice-video-was-sought-multiple-sources

 

So it seems that the NFL asked both the NJ police and Atlantic City police for the video. There seems to be some jurisdictional barriers at play here, basically the NJ police investigates things "in the casino" and the AC police investigates things that happened "in the elevator" - which I take to be that NJSP handles things within the confines of the room where gambling occurs and the ACSP handles everything else. At any rate, it seesm that the NFL was prohibited by the ACSP from obtaining a copy of the video because it would have been illegal for the ACSP to disclose anything to private non-law enforcement entity if that evidence is subject to grand jury proceedings.

 

So I guess the next question is, how did TMZ get a copy of the video and the NFL couldn't?  If it was illegal for the ACSP to disclose it, I have to think that TMZ acquired it illegally, hiding behind it's "sources."  This whole thing is so weird.

 

A casino worker had the video and didn't release it to the public until the casino went out of business so he wouldn't be sued by the casino.  That's what I heard on the news this morning.

 

But no one knows yet if the NFL and Ravens saw the video before too.  The casino worker could have made copies of it and sent it to the authorities and the authorities decided to cover it up.  He sent it to TMZ knowing they wouldn't cover it up.

 

It comes across like the casino worker is the whistle blower.

[OffensivelyPC]

Here's the thing about all of this that I can't understand yet. What did the NFL expect this incident to look like?

This assumes the NFL and the Ravens actually saw the video or they didn't see the video and Ray Rice and his wife were fully forthcoming and gave an accurate retelling of what went down in the video.  If the NFL/Ravens didn't actually see the video (which reports are indicating that the police withheld it for legal reasons), then they had to rely solely on Ray and his wife's testimony.  If they told a story that was basically, "We were getting into an argument, and Janay charged at Ray and he shoved/hit her to get her off of him and she knocked her head on the railing," then what was depicted in the video would prove Ray and his wife's story to be a complete fabrication and not nearly as grotesque as what we saw in that video.  If that's true, then the increased suspension makes a lot of sense because they suspended him 2 games based on an accident in the heat of the moment story, when really, he decked her like a seasoned boxer without much provocation at all.  Thus, the increased suspension not only includes what probably should have more harsh, but also the fact that he essentially lied under oath as far as the NFL is concerned.  That of course, draws into question, "What the heck were the Atlantic City prosecutors thinking if they saw that video?"  How is two Saturdays essentially in detention a reasonable punishment?

 

And just to be clear, that whole recitation is based entirely on the assumption that the NFL was not able to obtain a copy of the video.  If they did or could have obtained a copy of it, then the NFL just looks terrible for giving a 2 game suspension for one seriously horrific infraction.

[jvan1973]

Where is the evidence TMZ said they had about the nfl viewing the video before yesterday?

[Sports Central1]

Now what if Roger Goodell saw this video months ago and did nothing or is lying about not seeing it?  Well he did burn the Spy Gate tapes and never released that to the public.

 

Goodell tends to want to protect the brand of the NFL.  Anything that puts the NFL in bad light he hates.

[Sports Central1]

Where is the evidence TMZ said they had about the nfl viewing the video before yesterday?

 

That's a good question.  I also heard on the news this morning something alluding to TMZ having info on that they know the NFL saw this video before.

[jvan1973]

That's a good question. I also heard on the news this morning something alluding to TMZ having info on that they know the NFL saw this video before.

It was supposed to come out today

[OffensivelyPC]

A casino worker had the video and didn't release it to the public until the casino went out of business so he wouldn't be sued by the casino.  That's what I heard on the news this morning.

 

But no one knows yet if the NFL and Ravens saw the video before too.  The casino worker could have made copies of it and sent it to the authorities and the authorities decided to cover it up.  He sent it to TMZ knowing they wouldn't cover it up.

 

It comes across like the casino worker is the whistle blower.

The whole thing is weird.  You have to wonder what and who the person sent it to.  Apparently TMZ did some image pixilating for a clearer image.  If the guy did send it to the NFL, perhaps they saw it in terrrible quality and ignored it, which I dont' know how I would really feel about it if they did.  On the one hand, Im' sure they receive crap like that all the time, 99.9% of which is nothing, but it costs money to "clean it up" so to speak and no business should be expected to investigate 100% of all leads, no matter how irrelevant they may end up being for the 0.1%.  On the other hand, it looks bad when you actually had the 0.1% in your possession and ignored it.

 

The other thing that is weird is, if this guy waited until everything was all settled and then sold it to TMZ (or vice versa, TMZ had it this whole time and didn't send it to the NFL).  If true, there should be some sort of recourse for withholding that information given the impact that it's had when all that TMZ is getting out of it is recognition for essentially trolling America.

[Sports Central1]

It was supposed to come out today

 

I got the impression TMZ was waiting for a prime time slot on releasing it.  It could come tonight.  TMZ is west coast based.

[Sports Central1]

The whole thing is weird.  You have to wonder what and who the person sent it to.  Apparently TMZ did some image pixilating for a clearer image.  If the guy did send it to the NFL, perhaps they saw it in terrrible quality and ignored it, which I dont' know how I would really feel about it if they did.  On the one hand, Im' sure they receive crap like that all the time, 99.9% of which is nothing, but it costs money to "clean it up" so to speak and no business should be expected to investigate 100% of all leads, no matter how irrelevant they may end up being for the 0.1%.  On the other hand, it looks bad when you actually had the 0.1% in your possession and ignored it.

 

The other thing that is weird is, if this guy waited until everything was all settled and then sold it to TMZ (or vice versa, TMZ had it this whole time and didn't send it to the NFL).  If true, there should be some sort of recourse for withholding that information given the impact that it's had when all that TMZ is getting out of it is recognition for essentially trolling America.

 

Well if the casino worker or TMZ waited for the casino to go out of business to release it publicly that's smart because now the casino can't sue them.  It's no longer a business.

 

But for all we know the casino worker made copies of the tape and kept one copy for himself and gave the other copies to the authorities and NFL.  It does smell like there could be a cover up.

 

We don't know yet if the NFL and authorities saw the video before or not.  So if the authorities and NFL saw this video months ago then the casino worker and TMZ have done nothing wrong.  They're just the messenger exposing the corruption.

[DougDew]

How did the worker or TMZ doctor up the tape?  Did he or TMZ send the tape to a Hollywood studio and hire Michael Bay's CGi team to digitally create Ray punching his wife knocking her out unconscious?

 

Ray Rice on video punched his wife and knocked her out.  That's assault.  That's video evidence.

 

There is no evidence of doctoring of the tape.  It's just a new tape that wasn't seen before by the public.  There is a possibility the video was seen by the NFL and Ravens and covered up.

 

You may not like snitches and certain methods used to expose bad people, but Sterling and Rice got exposed for who they really are.

I was playing a bit....I don't think the video was doctored. 

 

However, traditional media sources, like local news bureaus refused to buy videos for that reason.  They shoot their own video in order to preserve the integrity of the broadcast, so that no one assumes the network is showing blood and gore etc that has been doctored for ratings.

 

TMZ is like the internet video version of National Enquirer.  I remember back in 1992 the NE had a front page picture showing then Presidential candidate Ross Perot shaking hands with an alien, claiming they had proof of where he was getting his ideas.

 

It was hilarious...obviosly phony....but the point is that videos that appear on the net don't go through the normal media standards and are therefore subject to scrutiny.  They help to foster rage and discussion moreso than true news reporting because the lack of standards always allows people to see what they want into the video (or tape). 

 

Again, having said that, I don't have a reason to believe its doctored.....but buying privately made videos is less trustworthy than something that was shot from a news reporting agency.

[OffensivelyPC]

Well if the casino worker or TMZ waited for the casino to go out of business to release it publicly that's smart because now the casino can't sue them.  It's no longer a business.

 

But for all we know the casino worker made copies of the tape and kept one copy for himself and gave the other copies to the authorities and NFL.  It does smell like there could be a cover up.

 

We don't know yet if the NFL and authorities saw the video before or not.  So if the authorities and NFL saw this video months ago then the casino worker and TMZ have done nothing wrong.  They're just the messenger exposing the corruption.

It definitely smells funny.  I suppose there's really nothing left to do but speculate until we see something further.

[DougDew]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11494073/nfl-says-ray-rice-video-was-sought-multiple-sources

 

So it seems that the NFL asked both the NJ police and Atlantic City police for the video. There seems to be some jurisdictional barriers at play here, basically the NJ police investigates things "in the casino" and the AC police investigates things that happened "in the elevator" - which I take to be that NJSP handles things within the confines of the room where gambling occurs and the ACSP handles everything else. At any rate, it seesm that the NFL was prohibited by the ACSP from obtaining a copy of the video because it would have been illegal for the ACSP to disclose anything to private non-law enforcement entity if that evidence is subject to grand jury proceedings.

 

So I guess the next question is, how did TMZ get a copy of the video and the NFL couldn't?  If it was illegal for the ACSP to disclose it, I have to think that TMZ acquired it illegally, hiding behind it's "sources."  This whole thing is so weird.

This makes sense.  Yes, I've elluded to TMZ obtaining materials illegally.  Nobody bothered to investigate that aspect of the sterling problem because the comments were so outrageous....but the method by which TMZ or any other company gets its information needs to be explored.

 

 

Why would the police hand over evidence in a crime just so a private company could discipline an employee under its conduct policy?

 

Why would a casino, another private company, do the same?

 

If TMZ OFFERED the video to Goodell, I would have refused it if I were him, figuring that TMZ was just parasitically feeding off of the popularity of the NFL, and figuring that the video showed no more than what Ray Rices wife just told me anyway. 

 

Its a bunch of nonsense....this whole issue is really.

[Sports Central1]

I was playing a bit....I don't think the video was doctored. 

 

However, traditional media sources, like local news bureaus refused to buy videos for that reason.  They shoot their own video in order to preserve the integrity of the broadcast, so that no one assumes the network is showing blood and gore etc that has been doctored for ratings.

 

TMZ is like the internet video version of National Enquirer.  I remember back in 1992 the NE had a front page picture showing then Presidential candidate Ross Perot shaking hands with an alien, claiming they had proof of where he was getting his ideas.

 

It was hilarious...obviosly phony....but the point is that videos that appear on the net don't go through the normal media standards and are therefore subject to scrutiny.  They help to foster rage and discussion moreso than true news reporting because the lack of standards always allows people to see what they want into the video (or tape). 

 

Again, having said that, I don't have a reason to believe its doctored.....but buying privately made videos is less trustworthy than something that was shot from a news reporting agency.

 

With regards to issues like this I trust TMZ more than NBC/MSNBC news which doctored the George Zimmerman 911 calls.  TMZ is more pure and less politically corrupt and less filtered.

[ruksak]

With regards to issues like this I trust TMZ more than NBC/MSNBC news which doctored the George Zimmerman 911 calls.  TMZ is more pure and less politically corrupt and less filtered.

That was ABC, actually. Not that MSNBC isn't the Michael Brown defense network. Shameful networks, both of them. 

[thedude]

He is under contract until 2018. So I'm sure he would take that 160 million dollar severance and live very comfortable for the rest of his life

He makes 40 million plus a year, so his future is secured no matter what. I have no inside knowledge about the terms of his contract. There could be clauses which deal with the ramifications of variety of misconducts such as lying and such.

[House]

The best part of this forum, is how easy some posters make it to tell how crazy they are.

[OffensivelyPC]

With regards to issues like this I trust TMZ more than NBC/MSNBC news which doctored the George Zimmerman 911 calls.  TMZ is more pure and less politically corrupt and less filtered.

You can't be serious...That's like saying runny crap is worse than mushy crap.

[Buck Showalter]

With regards to issues like this I trust TMZ more than NBC/MSNBC news which doctored the George Zimmerman 911 calls.  TMZ is more pure and less politically corrupt and less filtered.

 

 

You can't be serious...That's like saying runny crap is worse than mushy crap.

 

 

isn't TMZ basically gossip/tabloid type news???

while you may have a point there SC1, that they may not have strong political leanings, I'd say "pure" may not have been the best word choice to describe their brand of "News"...

 

Sensationalist, Conrtoversial, crap maybe...

[ruksak]

You can't be serious...That's like saying runny crap is worse than mushy crap.

The difference is, TMZ has no agenda other than profit. All major news outlets espouse a powerful, palatable political agenda. 

 

TMZ simply offers material for the voyeur, do with it as you will. They care not if you believe what you see, or what you make of it. 

[Buck Showalter]

Just curious, how did Dana White deal with the whole 'War Machine' ordeal???