An NFL official received a copy of the Ray Rice assault video in April, a source has told the Associated Press, contradicting the testimony of league commissioner Roger Goodell.
The AP cites a "law enforcement official" who said he delivered the tape three months ago. The evidence is a 12-second voicemail from NFL headquarters confirming receipt of the video, in which an unnamed league executive characterizes the content as "terrible."
The NFL reaffirmed to AP that no one in the organization had seen the video. The source did not specify whether any league exec had actually seen the video, only that it was in the possession of the league.
Following the release of the story, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello issued a statement. "We have no knowledge of this. We are not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on Monday. We will look into it."
Goodell told CBS News that neither he nor anyone at the NFL saw the video of Rice punching Janay Palmer. "Well, we had not seen videotape of what occurred in the elevator," he said in the interview.
Despite the NFL's denial, this latest wrinkle in the Rice saga could refuel critics' objections to the league's handling of the incident. ESPN commentator Keith Olbermann, among others, called for Goodell's resignation.
Since the video was released, the NFL extended Rice's initial two-game suspension indefinitely. Rice's team, the Baltimore Ravens, promptly released the star running back.
In addition, ABC News reported Tuesday that the Ravens were aware of the elevator video and what was on it but never asked to see it.
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