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Interesting how Coach Harbagh wanted to cut Rice immediately--upon seeing the outside-the-elevator tape. And was countered by all the higher-ups.
Piecing together things from the ESPN story and other sources:
1. Within hours of the February 15 incident, the Ravens' head of security (Darren Sanders) gets details of what happened from an Atlantic City policy officer who happens to be a Ravens fan and who viewed the video, and communicates them to team President **** Cass
2. The Ravens apparently never requested a copy of the video, but tried to suppress it - the implication being that they new the evidence was damning and didn't want to see it. That includes not attempting to obtain it through the authorities, not attempting to obtain it through the hotel (and a TMZ reporter today claimed that the news agency obtained the video by a simple phone call to the hotel), and later not attempting to obtain it through Rice's attorney.
3. The Ravens apparently decided that they could brazen this out even though they realized that the video evidence would be toxic, and decided on a strategy of aggressive plea bargaining, leaning on the New Jersey law authorities, and leaning on the NFL to minimize the events and punishment. Cass seems to have been the point man in all of this. It seems like Ozzie Newsome was influenced by his personal relationship with Rice. The team apparently stuck with this strategy even after the charges against Rice were upgrade to aggravated assault, and despite being told by Rice's attorney that the video evidence was damning.
4. When the sh*t hit the fan, the team jettisoned Ray Rice and claimed that they had not realized the severity of the circumstances, claiming that the video "changed everything", even though Ozzie Newsome said that Ray Rice had been completely candid about what transpired.
I understand this is an ESPN story, but if it can be corroborated, ouch.