Ray Rice's wife claims NFL commish Goodell lied about his knowledge of assault

By RYAN GORMAN

The wife of embattled football player Ray Rice insists NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is lying about her husband's account of the February assault that he told to the league.

Janay Rice told NBC News that the running back told Goodell the "honest truth" about the vicious punch that left her unconscious in an Atlantic City elevator and Ray Rice suspended indefinitely from the league until a court ruling this week reinstated him.

"I can't say he's telling the truth ... I know for a fact that Ray told the honest truth that he's been telling from February," said Janay Rice.

Goodell initially only suspended the former Baltimore Raven for two games while insisting the Super Bowl champion gave an ambiguous account of the elevator assault.

Ray Rice, his wife and attorney have said that he was upfront and honest from the beginning. A New York Daily News report from September also gave as detailed a version of the incident as is known now, before TMZ made the shocking security footage public.

Goodell and the NFL "covered their butts" with the claim of ambiguity, Janay Rice told NBC.

"I think they did what they had to do for themselves."

Goodell faced major backlash for the initial two game suspension given to Ray Rice. He later applied a second punishment, an indefinite ban, despite their being no precedence for such a decision.

The Ravens also terminated Ray Rice's $35 million dollar contract.

A Friday court ruling overturned the ban, making him eligible to sign with any NFL team, on grounds he was punished twice for the same transgression.

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Related links:
Rice wins appeal, 'suspension vacated'
Cowboys activate Brent after 10-game suspension