Citing ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, ESPN.com news services staff report that, in his appeal of the indefinite suspension imposed by the NFL, Ray Rice will argue that the TMZ videotape that precipitated the suspension was edited and does not accurately represent what transpired in the Atlantic City casino elevator.
According to the ESPN article, “Legal sources told Schefter that the TMZ tape of Rice hitting his then-fiancee was a cleaned-up, whittled down and condensed version of the events…” Robert Mueller, whom the NFL appointed to investigate the handling of the Rice incident, will have access to the “extended version” (i.e. the version not edited by TMZ).
Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk confirms that a demonstration of the unedited tape will play a major role in Rice’s strategy.