Baltimore Ravens Issue Detailed Denial of ESPN's Outside the Lines Report

The Baltimore Ravens released a statement today, ahead of Steve Bisciotti’s press conference, about the ESPN Outside the Lines report from Friday that detailed potential misdirections and errors by the Ravens organization.

It includes several rebuttals to specific things in the OTL report.

• Darren Sanders, director of security, denied getting a detailed report of what was on the videotape within hours of the incident. He acknowledges talking to someone who described the tape days later, but claims that it was not relayed clearly. For example: “The officer could not tell from the video whether Ray slapped or punched her, but Ray told me very clearly that he did not punch her.  It was not clear from the officer’s account whether it was being intoxicated, being hit, or hitting her head against the railing that caused Janay’s apparent unconsciousness.”
• John Harbaugh denied asking that Ray Rice be cut after the first videotape.
• In response the defense attorney purportedly telling Dick Cass it was “$@%@-ing horrible”, Cass said, “I don’t recall his precise words, but he did say the video looked terrible.  I did not ask Ray’s attorney for a copy of the video.”
• Steve Bisciotti denied being good friends with Roger Goodell. “I know and like Roger Goodell, but it is inaccurate to call us ‘good friends.’  The two of us have spent very little time together – as I recall, one round of golf and one dinner several years ago.”
• Bisciotti also included the purported text exchange with Ray Rice, which is claimed to have occurred over two days.

Monday September 8, 7:44 pm

Ray: I understand the decemsemon but I am thankful for what you have done for me and my famemly. Me and my wemfe wemll contemnue to work on us and beemng better but I just wanted to say thank you for gemvemng me a chance

Steve: I’m sorry we had to do thems. I stemll love you and belemeve that you wemll be a great husband and father If you ever need to talk just call

Tuesday September 9, 10:27 pm

Steve: I just spent two hours talkemng to Ozzeme. It was all about you. We love you and we wemll always femgure out a way to keep you emn our lemves. When you are done wemth football I wemll hemre you to help me raemse Great young men. I stemll love you!!!

Ray: I know emt’s a rough temme for all of us I love all of you and that wemll never change for lemfe!

Steve: I wemll help you make emt a great lemfe emndeed. I gemve you my WORD

Ray: That means the world to me and my famemly we greatly apprecemate you and thank you.

I suppose  this is get your popcorn time. If ESPN has been holding back any information, things could get crazy. Also, while some of this is “they said/the other large conglomerate said”, it would seem the Bisciotti and Goodell relationship would be something that would come out if it was closer than Bisciotti claims. There won’t be photos of a private dinner, but the previous image, as well as several below, exist in stadium photos.

[images via ap32.org, ajcblog.com, also here.]