On Tuesday, Roger Goodell and the NFL went out of their way to proclaim that getting the Ray Rice elevator tape from Revel Hotel & Casino would have been illegal.
"Our understanding of New Jersey law is that the casino is prohibited from turning over material to a third party during a law enforcement proceeding, and that doing so would have subjected individuals to prosecution for interference with a criminal investigation,'' the letter the league sent to NFL owners reads. "Moreover, our longstanding policy in matters like this – where there is a criminal investigation being directed by law enforcement and prosecutors – is to cooperate with law enforcement and take no action to interfere with the criminal justice system."
Unfortunately for Goodell, someone called him on that claim - the same organization that released the tape in the first place.
TMZ now reports that the casino would not have been prohibited from giving the NFL the video...and all they had to do to find out was ask.
From TMZ:
Paul Loriquet, the Director of Communications for the New Jersey Attorney General, tells TMZ bluntly, "No, it's not illegal."
To be clear ... our question was very specific: "Is it illegal for the casino to show or provide this material to a private entity in an ongoing investigation." His answer, "No, it's not illegal."
This information comes just hours after the AP reported that a law enforcement official sent the NFL the controversial elevator video months ago.
MORE:
NFL Releases Statement In Response to AP Claims Regarding Ray Rice Video
Back to the NFL Newsfeed