Roger Goodell memo to owners: NFL didn’t see elevator video, will do better

Goodell admitted that the league did not directly ask the Atlantic City casino for the video, because their “understanding of New Jersey law is that casino security is regulated by the Division of Gaming Enforcement in the State Attorney General’s office.”

He also said that the NFL repeatedly asked different law enforcement authorities to share all relevant information, including any video of the incident. According to the memo, the requests for the video by the league were first made in February after the incident happened, and were again made following Rice’s entry into the pre-trial diversion program in May.

He reiterated the fact that the league did not see video of what happened inside the elevator until it was publicly released on Monday, and that the league made its decision on Rice’s two-game suspension in July based all the information that they had available to them at the time.

In closing, Goodell stated that the NFL is continuing to review its procedures and is confident that the recent changes to the league’s domestic violence policy represent a significant commitment to addressing this serious issue.

As always, we will continuously examine our procedures. I believe that we took a significant step forward with the enhanced policies on domestic violence and sexual assault that were announced last month. I also know that we will be judged on our actions going forward. I am confident that those actions will demonstrate our commitment to address this issue seriously and effectively, and will reflect well on the NFL, all member clubs, and everyone who is a part of our league.

The full memo from Goodell can be found on NFL.com and read in its entirety below.