Mueller probe: Ravens had 'detailed report' of Rice incident in February

The Baltimore Ravens obtained information they should have shared with the NFL about the Ray Rice domestic violence case, an investigation by former FBI director Robert S. Mueller determined.

While Mueller's report stated the Ravens did not see the video of Rice striking then-fiancee Janay Palmer in a casino elevator before Sept. 8, the team did receive a "detailed report" in late February of what was captured on the in-elevator video, according to the investigation.

Darren Sanders, the Ravens' director of security, received information from a lieutenant with the Atlantic City Police Department who provided details of the video to Sanders in a conversation in late February. Lieutenant Rodney Ruark described to Sanders what happened between Rice and Palmer as he watched the video.

Sanders' notes from the conversation are included in the report:

— "Shows Ray walking away from Janay from restaurant ahead of her by 30 yards, her following. Both are seen arguing in hallway. Janay appears to spit on Ray and to slap him. Ray pushes her away and walks away. Argue at elevators, Ray appears to spit on her, she elbows him, then spits on him. She walks away and then reappears, slapping at him. She enters elevators first with him behind her. He slaps/punches her, she spits on him and punches at him, he slaps/punches her again causing her to fall striking her head against the wall, going 'unconscious.' He stands over her for a brief moment then tries to drag her off the elevator."

This information was never provided to the NFL and the NFL did not request it, the investigation determined.

Sanders then took that information to brief Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, team president Dick Cass and coach John Harbaugh. Newsome's notes from that meeting include the following description of events, according to the report:

— "She elbow him starting throwing/Punches after she spit on/him he slap her she sailed/backward — more intoxication/than the hit."

Cass recalled in the report that Sanders described Palmer as the aggressor and that Rice was defending himself, "slapped her, she fell into a wall, and she hit her head on a rail."

Sanders described Rice and Palmer as very drunk but there was a question of whether she lost consciousness due to the strike, "her head hitting the wall, or her\intoxication."

On Feb. 26, Adolpho Birch, the NFL's senior vice president of labor policy and government affairs, had a conversation with Newsome that he shared with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The e-mail stated: "I spoke with [Newsome] yesterday. Agrees that it is bad, but advised that the club is basically holding waiting to see whether charges will be filed. Apparently, Ray and the fiancée are in counseling and have said that they will not file against each other (but of course, the state can bring charges on its own). The club also wants to defer to the league to handle under the conduct policy. [Newsome] promised to keep me in the loop with any information they get."

The investigation did include an interview with Rice, who said he requested his attorney keep the Ravens up to date with any information about the case.

"Sanders and Cass stated that if the League had asked them directly for information, they would have responded to the League's request," the report stated. "That said, the Ravens possessed this information and well understood that the events inside the elevator were under League investigation. They should have shared with the League information critical to its investigation."

The Ravens, who play the New England Patriots in Saturday's playoff divisional round, released this statement Thursday afternoon:

"We welcome completion of the 'Mueller Report,' and we look forward to cooperating with the League on any new policies resulting from this report.

"More than anything, the report reminds us all of the gravity of the consequences of intimate partner abuse and the lessons we must all learn. We have taken steps to educate ourselves, and others, about this important issue, and will continue to do so."

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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones