Elevator video said to be of Ray Rice domestic abuse incident surfaces

Video footage has surfaced that purports to show what happened in a casino elevator between Baltimore running back Ray Rice and his then-fiance, an incident that led to domestic assault charges and a two-game suspension of Rice.

The new footage, released Monday morning on TMZ.com, is brutal and shocking. It appears to show Rice punching Janay Palmer in the face twice, with the force from the second blow causing her to fall and hit her head on the handrail before crumpling to the ground.

Rice and now-wife, Janay Palmer, were arrested for assault after the February incident. A grand jury dismissed the charges against Palmer the following month. Rice was cleared of criminal wrongdoing after participating in a program for first-time offenders. The couple is now married.

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FOR THE RECORD

Feb. 13, 2015: An earlier version of this incorrectly stated that the charges were dropped against Palmer after participating in a program for first-time offenders.

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Rice’s suspension was announced in July, with Commissioner Roger Goodell citing the player’s previously clean record and his intention to follow through with counseling and other professional services.

A tremendous public backlash followed, with many people outraged that players get harsher punishments for such acts as smoking marijuana. Some folks wondered if Goodell had actually seen the elevator footage before deciding the punishment. A comment from the league office Monday says that he had not.

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

Last week, Goodell announced a new policy for domestic abuse violators, with a six-game suspension for a first-time offense and at least a year for a second. Without mentioning Rice by name, the commissioner stated: “”At times … despite our best efforts, we fall short of our goals. We clearly did so in response to a recent incident of domestic violence.”

It is unclear at this point whether the league will alter Rice’s suspension in light of the newly surfaced video. But it’s pretty clear that public pressure to do so will only intensify.

Twitter: @chewkiii