Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti surprised by 'forceful blow' seen in second Ray Rice clip

By RYAN GORMAN

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has admitted in a new interview with a Baltimore television station that he and the team "dropped the ball" when it came to dealing with disgraced running back Ray Rice.

Bisciotti's words came only one day after he issued a formal apology to fans and the league for the Ravens' coddling of Rice in the months after it became known he knocked out then-fiancee Janay Palmer and dragged her out of an Atlantic City elevator.

The billionaire told the station his unwillingness to part with Rice came from believing his description of the events, which was clearly different from what video made public this week by TMZ has shown.

"The way it was described to us was that he had hit her with an open hand and that she had hit her head," said the team owner. "We already knew that they had... consumed an enormous amount of alcohol, two bottles of hard liquor between four of them."

Bisciotti then admitted being "guilty" of having blinders to Rice's faults.

"We love Ray, so we have a tendency to hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see," he continued.

The remorseful owner then said he was told there was a mutual attack, and that parties hit each other with open hands.

"I was picturing her wailing on him and him smacking her and, maybe, her head [was close to] the wall and, with her inebriation, dropped," said Bisciotti.

"Why did I conclude all that? Because I wanted to, because I loved him," the Ravens owner continued. "He had a stellar record and the cops had already seen the video.

"I assumed it wasn't a forceful blow that moved her head three-feet into that wall," Bisciotti admitted. "That's what I regret."

Rice was cut by the team Monday after TMZ made video from inside the elevator public. He was then also suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

The Ravens host the Steelers Thursday night on national television in what was supposed to be the last game before Rice returned from his previous two-game suspension.

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