Former FBI Director: The NFL Didn't See The Ray Rice Video Before It Was Released Publicly

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An investigation led by former FBI director Robert S. Mueller concluded there was no evidence that the NFL received the video of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice beating his fiancee in an elevator before it's public release in September.

In September, a law-enforcement official told the Associated Press that a copy of the video showing Ray Rice punching his then fiancée in a casino elevator had been sent to an NFL executive in April.

From a statement released by the investigation:

- The NFL's deference to law enforcement "can foster an environment in which it is less important to understand precisely what a player did than to understand how and when the criminal justice system addresses the event."

- The NFL's deference to the law enforcement process involving Mr. Rice "led to deficiencies in the League's collection and analysis of information during its investigation."

- The NFL had "substantial information suggesting a serious event had occurred inside the elevator that the League should have further investigated." Had the League done so, "it may have uncovered additional information about the incident, possibly including the in-elevator video prior to its public release."

"We found no evidence that anyone at the NFL had or saw the in-elevator video before it was publicly shown. We also found no evidence that a woman at the NFL acknowledged receipt of that video in a voicemail message on April 9, 2014," Mueller said in the statement.

"We concluded there was substantial information about the incident - even without the in-elevator video - indicating the need for a more thorough investigation. The NFL should have done more with the information it had, and should have taken additional steps to obtain all available information about the February 15 incident."

More to come ...