http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11...video-surfaces
The
Baltimore Ravens terminated running back
Ray Rice's contract on Monday, hours after TMZ Sports
released a video showing him punching his then-fiancée in the face in an Atlantic City hotel elevator in February.
The team had no other comment in its statement announcing Rice's release.
Rice's assault on Janay Palmer, who he married in March, drew a two-game suspension from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- a penalty so severely criticized as too lenient that Goodell recently revamped the league's personal conduct policies covering domestic violence and assault.
The NFL says it never saw the video until Monday. The grainy video apparently shows Rice and Janay Palmer in an elevator at the Revel Casino on Feb. 15. Each hits the other before Rice knocks Palmer off her feet and into a railing. Earlier video of Rice dragging Palmer from the elevator has been shown repeatedly, but the video shown Monday showed Rice striking Palmer twice, the second time apparently rendering her unconscious.
Earlier Monday, league spokesman Brian McCarthy regarding the video: "We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator. That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today."
A Revel spokesperson told ABC News that the hotel gave a copy of the video posted by TMZ Sports to the police. The hotel, which closed Sept. 2, says it did not give it to TMZ.
Rice's suspension -- he also was fined more than $500,000 by Goodell -- was scheduled to end after the Ravens' upcoming game against the rival Steelers on Thursday. He had three years remaining on his contract at $4 million this season, $3 million next season and $3 million in 2016.
The Ravens will not owe Rice any money.
Only TWO games Roger Goodell...
