The original video we saw of Ray Rice dragging his unconscious then-fiancee Janay Palmer out of a casino elevator over the winter left plenty of questions unanswered. While witnesses said they saw Rice and Palmer fighting, Rice’s attorney urged the public to wait for the entire story and all of the footage before passing judgment. We now have the entire elevator video, and it is worse than many expected.
Surveillance footage obtained by TMZ shows Rice striking Palmer in the face multiple times with his left hand and landing a knockout blow. This is obviously the video police reportedly had in their possession shortly after both Rice and Palmer were arrested for domestic assault.
[Related: NFL says it did not see Ray Rice elevator video before the public]
The video also shows that Rice and Palmer were arguing and got physical with one another before getting on the elevator. Palmer came storming over to Rice, who appeared to yell something in her face, and then swatted him in the head with her left hand.
Regardless of who started the argument, the punch Rice threw is sickening. Even if Palmer was the aggressor initially, he could have easily defended himself without knocking her out.
[Related: Ray Rice gets standing ovation from Ravens fans after returning to team]
TMZ also reports that the NFL saw the footage of Rice knocking Palmer out before settling on just a two-game suspension for the Baltimore Ravens star. The league must have known the video would get out, which probably explains why Roger Goodell admitted he made a mistake and has since amended the NFL’s policy on domestic violence.
Rice and Palmer got married a day after the incident took place.
