More Details Regarding Ravens Decision To Release Ray Rice

Update:

The NFLPA has issued a response to Ray Rice being released by the Ravens earlier today.

“I was one of the last people to see the video, because I was on a plane flying out at oh-dark-thirty this morning, and I saw the video when I landed,” NFLPA executive director, DeMaurice Smith, said, via SI.com. “And yes, the video is disturbing. As a father, as a husband — when you see something like that, it’s jarring. It’s disturbing. For our union and for our players, it’s one of those things where you at least try to look at something positive. And that is the reminder how unacceptable any kind of violence, especially domestic violence, should be. It has no place in our lives, and certainly in our community. And that’s where we are right now.

“The video is really all the information I’ve seen. I did learn on the way over to the facility about Mr. Rice being released, and have not yet talked to [NFL Commissioner] Roger [Goodell] about any other discipline. I did hear that [Rice had been suspended], but I tend to rely on the Commissioner and learning all the facts first-hand. That’s what we’ll do, and once we know what those facts are, that will dictate our next steps.”

The maintains that they had not seen the video before today.

“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including video from inside the elevator,” the NFL said in a statement. “That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.”

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ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that the Ravens decision to release RB Ray Rice was reportedly “unanimous” and made by owner Steve Bisciotti, GM Ozzie Newsome, HC John Harbaugh, and president Dick Cass.

According to Werder, Newsome was the one to call Rice and explain that his contract has been terminated while Bisciotti contacted commissioner Roger Goodell.

“It’s something we saw for the first time today, all of us,” Harbaugh said. “It changed things of course. It made things different.”

Harbaugh was asked why they didn’t see the video to which Harbaugh responded: “I have no answer for that.”

Harvey Levin tells FOX 5 in D.C. that the NFL was aware of the video and turned a blind eye to the situation. According to Levin, the league knew of the video and would have allowed Rice to play had TMZ not released it earlier today.

Mike Garafolo spoke the NFL in response to the claims made by TMZ that they were aware of the video and turned a blind eye regarding the Rice situation.

The NFL’s response to Garafolo was that this was the first they had seen of the additional security footage.