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 The announcement comes within hours of a report by the Associated
Press that a law enforcement official sent a video to the league in
April that showed Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an elevator.
The official wanted the NFL to have the video before deciding how to
punish Rice, the agency said, adding that the official spoke on
condition of anonymity.
The NFL has steadfastly insisted it had not seen the video until it
went viral on Monday.
"We have no knowledge of this. We are not aware of anyone in our
office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on
Monday," Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the National Football League,
told Reuters earlier on Wednesday. Even so, he added, "We will look
into it."
Mueller's probe will be overseen by NFL owners John Mara of the New
York Giants and Art Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers, both of whom
are attorneys, the league said in a statement.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Mueller would have access to
league records and personnel and the final report would be made
public.
The NFL suspended Rice indefinitely after the release of the video,
taken in an elevator in a New Jersey casino, saying the clip showed
the violence involved in the incident. Rice's team, the Baltimore
Ravens, also cut the three-time Pro Bowler.
Weeks earlier, Goodell suspended Rice for just two games, based on
another video from a camera outside the elevator that showed him
dragging an unconscious Janay Palmer, whom he later married.
Critics of the league's handling of the incident contend that
Goodell was too lenient in his initial punishment. Since the release
of the new video, questions have surfaced over why the NFL was not
able to obtain the clip before TMZ, the website that first aired it
on Monday.
"If Goodell did see the video, which he says he didn't, then he
should be fired," Washington Post columnist John Feinstein told
Reuters. "If he didn't see the video, then he probably should be
fired too - because he should have seen the video.
"He's guilty and everybody working around him is guilty, for giving
him terrible advice," Feinstein said.
Goodell serves at the behest of the NFL team owners, and there is no
sign they have lost confidence in him. At least two, Robert Kraft of
the New England Patriots and John Mara of the New York Giants, have
voiced support for Goodell since Monday.
GOODELL: JOB NOT IN JEOPARDY
In a "CBS This Morning" interview that aired earlier on Wednesday,
Goodell said he did not believe his job was on the line over his
handling of the case, which has rekindled a national discussion over
domestic abuse.
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But Goodell, who has a reputation for being tough on players who
break the rules, has conceded he didn't get it right by suspending
Rice for just two games, and he later spelled out tougher policies
for players involved in domestic abuse.
"People expect a lot from the NFL," he said, adding that he was
still learning about domestic abuse.
"We accept that," Goodell said of the league's responsibility. "We
embrace that. That's our opportunity to make a difference, not just
in the NFL, but in society in general."
The 55-year-old Goodell, who has been the NFL commissioner since
2006, has said he tried and failed to obtain the video from inside
the elevator.
"On multiple occasions we asked for it," Goodell said. "And on
multiple occasions we were told 'no.' I understand that there may be
legal restrictions on them sharing that with us."
When told many people do not believe that, Goodell said, "It's a
fact."
Rice, 27, was indicted by a grand jury in March on third-degree
aggravated assault, but the charge was dropped because Palmer
declined to testify against him. He ultimately agreed to
court-supervised counseling as part of a pre-trial intervention
program.
Mueller, who will lead the new investigation, was the FBI's
longest-serving director since J. Edgar Hoover, and oversaw some of
the country's biggest cases, including the 9/11 attacks and the
bombing at the Boston Marathon last year.
He stepped down last September and later joined a private law firm.
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Additional reporting by
Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing
by Sandra Maler, Eric Beech, Eric M. Johnson and Clarence Fernandez)
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