CBS’ James Brown gave a very poignant essay yesterday on the subject of domestic abuse before the Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers last night. In case you missed it, here’s the transcript. Brown also had a very revealing exclusive interview with Baltimore Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti; which aired in the pre-game show.
In case you missed that, here’s the gist of it, thanks to the good folks at CBS Sports Press Relations:
boldfaced font indicates quotes from Bisciotti, not James Brown on NFL Thursday Night Kickoff:
On what the Baltimore Ravens’ own investigation consisted of and how far did it go:
“Of course we knew that there was other video and our security did the steps that they normally would. They called the casino and they would not release it. They called the Jets and the Giants and said, ‘Do you have any influence, is there any way that you can help us?’ They called back and said no, that they would not release it. The prosecutor said yesterday that would have been illegal. If I had said to Ray [Rice] and his attorney I can’t keep you on this team until I see that tape, I would have seen the tape and I would have sent it to Roger [Goodell] and said you have to look at this tape before you render your decision.”
On the report that the NFL was sent a copy of the tape in April:
“I believe Roger [Goodell] when he says he never saw it. If the allegation is true that it got to the league office, then somebody was negligent in not getting that to Roger. I’ve known Roger for 14 years. He’s dedicated his life to the NFL and as a man I can’t believe that he saw that video and gave a two-game suspension. That’s what makes it hard for me to believe.”
On the public cries for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to step down:
“I don’t agree with that at all. At all. Because again, this is an accusation from an anonymous source. Could it be trying to deflect blame from the police for being so light on them? Maybe. But why would I take an anonymous person’s word over a man that I’ve known for 14 years?”
On what he has learned through this process:
“If Ray Rice ends up being the reason and our Ravens’ failures and our shortcomings and the league’s shortcomings become a reason to change the legal process and their shortcomings, then if this is a seminal moment for domestic violence and the way we handle it as a society, then that’s not a burden for us to be that poster boy. It’s not. Now I’m embarrassed about it but five years from now if things have changed significantly for the better, I’ll be proud of it. That’s our recovery. What can we do going forward? Pray that this was a moment in time that changed everything.”
Transcript courtesy of CBS Sports and NFL Network
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post.
Leave a Reply