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Janay Rice said in an interview with NBC's "Today" show host
Matt Lauer that her husband told Goodell the truth about the
assault that left her unconscious in an New Jersey casino
elevator in February, an incident that lead to his indefinite
suspension by the league in September.
“I know for a fact that Ray told the honest truth that he's been
telling from February," Janay Rice responded in a portion of the
interview aired on the show's website. The full interview with
Janay Rice will air on Monday and Tuesday.
Goodell has said he was not fully aware of what happened in the
elevator until the video came out in September and was
criticized for not suspending the 27-year-old running back
sooner.
Asked by Lauer if NFL officials were trying to protect
themselves by calling Ray Rice "ambiguous" about the incident,
she said: "I think they did what they had to do for themselves."
On Friday, Rice won an appeal of his indefinite suspension for
domestic violence and is now eligible to sign with any NFL team,
the league said.
Goodell suspended Rice in July for two games before issuing an
indefinite suspension in September.
A hearing officer concluded that Rice did not mislead Goodell
when he disciplined Rice the first time and therefore the
commissioner acted arbitrarily in imposing a second, harsher
punishment based on the same incident and known facts.
Rice said in a statement on Friday that he made "an inexcusable
mistake." He said he accepts responsibility and will work to
improve himself as a husband while giving back to the community.
Rice had pleaded not guilty in May to one count of third-degree
aggravated assault and was entered into a pre-trial intervention
program for first-time offenders.
(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City; Editing by Bernard
Orr)
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