Ray Rice video was sent to NFL security chief, report says

The video of Ray Rice striking his then-fiancee in a casino elevator was sent to the NFL in April to the attention of Jeff Miller, the league’s head of security, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.

The NFL has consistently denied anyone at the league saw the video before Sept. 8, when TMZ released it. Through a league spokesman Thursday, Miller also denied seeing the video before its public release.

According to the report, the source told the AP two weeks ago that he sent the video to the NFL — and played a 12-second voice mail confirming receipt of the package — but asked that Miller’s name not be included in the story. Thursday, the source lifted that restriction.

The source told the AP he did not know whether Miller received the video or opened the package, and that the source’s only communication with the league was the voice mail, in which a woman’s voice says, “You’re right. It’s terrible.”

Miller, in London for Sunday’s game between Miami and Oakland, issued a written statement responding to the report:

“I unequivocally deny that I received at any time a copy of the video and I had not watched it until it was made public on September 8,” he said.

Miller, a former Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner, joined the NFL in 2009 as director of strategic security programs. In 2011, he replaced the retiring Milt Ahlerich as the NFL’s head of security. Miller’s current NFL title is vice president and chief security officer.