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Ravens Refute ESPN Report Of Ray Rice Coverup, Will Hold News Conference This Week

Top Ravens execs, including Owner Steve Bisciotti, are expected to speak at a news conference early this week to address an ESPN "Outside The Lines" report that alleged the team knew of the severity" of Ray Rice's assault on his wife, but "still worked behind-the-scenes to get leniency for the running back both from the judicial system and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell," according to Zrebiec & Wilson of the Baltimore SUN. Ravens Senior VP/Public & Community Relations Kevin Byrne in a statement said the ESPN report published Friday contained "numerous errors, inaccuracies, false assumptions, and perhaps misunderstandings." The team "has yet to specify what those are, although a team source vehemently disputed the report's assertion" that Ravens coach John Harbaugh wanted to release Rice earlier in the offseason. The source said that Harbaugh "agreed with Rice's release only when the video of what happened inside the elevator came out on Sept. 8." Byrne: "This is new territory for us, we're learning as we go but we do believe that the fans and the people of Baltimore do need to hear our side of the story, so there will be our side of the story." The report contained text messages from Bisciotti to Rice following his release from the team in which Bisciotti said that Rice "would have a job with the organization when his playing career was over in which he would help acclimate young players to the NFL." The report also detailed Ravens President Dick Cass' efforts to "get Rice accepted into New Jersey's pretrial intervention program, in part because it would keep the elevator video from going public." Cass "has not returned phone calls or e-mails" (Baltimore SUN, 9/21). In N.Y., Bart Hubbuch wrote the "most damaging detail" in the ESPN report alleged Ravens Senior Dir of Security Darren Sanders "knew the exact details of the elevator incident just hours after it happened Feb. 15 at the since-closed Revel casino because a police lieutenant described the video to him as the lieutenant was watching it." That "contradicts the claim by Bisciotti and Ravens officials that they only knew what happened based on Rice’s statements to them" (N.Y. POST, 9/21).

DIGGING UP DIRT: In Baltimore, Justin George cited public records as showing that "little written interaction between authorities and the league or team." Atlantic City authorities "released a letter" from Sanders "requesting a copy of the police report from the incident." The letter "did not seek any video footage." The request was made Sept. 9, the day after the in-elevator video of the assault was released by TMZ. Byrne said that the letter "wasn't the first time the team had sought that report." He said that the Ravens "had asked for the police report right after the incident, but Atlantic City police refused to provide a copy to team security officials." Byrne "did not know whether that initial request was made in person, over the phone, with a letter or in an email" (Baltimore SUN, 9/21). Also in Baltimore, Peter Schmuck wrote it is "common for media-conscious sports teams to close ranks when there is a scandal involving a high-profile employee." It is also "common for a team to work behind the scenes to minimize the impact on the image of the organization and the competitiveness of the team." What "makes this different is the appearance that Goodell went along with it." What makes it "more galling is that the NFL has been operating this way for so long that league officials obviously had become too arrogant or lazy to recognize that they had wandered into a public relations minefield" (Baltimore SUN, 9/20). In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote we have learned, "in great detail, about the rush to protect a guy who deserved no protection, none in this matter; who was treated like some kind of hero because he had done a lot of charity work in the city with which he played, as if that’s all we had to know about his character." The Ravens "don’t just look as if they were weaving a fantasy here, they look like the biggest phoneys of all in the Ray Rice case, as they have punched themselves out the way Goodell has." Goodell, Bisciotti, Cass and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome "went out of their way to protect the lout who threw the punch" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/21).

WHAT NOW? THE MMQB's Peter King wrote there is "no question" that Bisciotti will "have to make some changes in personnel if the basic tenets of the ESPN story check out." If Cass "knew how horrible the Rice video was and didn’t tell his owner, he’s in trouble." If Cass "knew how horrible the Rice video was and did tell his owner, they’re both in trouble -- with Goodell." If Goodell "learns two men he trusts, Cass and Bisciotti, argued vociferously for leniency for Rice while either one or the other knew Rice had knocked out his fiancée with a crushing left hook, Goodell rightfully will feel used." Goodell "will probably consider the prospect of disciplining one or more" of the Ravens execs over it (MMQB.SI.com, 9/19). The SUN's Schmuck wrote under the header, "Once A Model Franchise, Ravens Now an Example Of What's Wrong In NFL." He noted Rice "was one of five Ravens to get into trouble between the end of last season and the start of training camp in July." The other incidents "pale in comparison to the Rice scandal, but they all fed the narrative that the once-proud Ravens organization had lost its way." A model franchise "had become a model of all that is believed to be wrong with the NFL" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 9/21).

JERSEY SWAP: Byrne said that the team's Rice jersey exchange held Friday and Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium "drew more than 7,000 fans as of noon Saturday and resulted in nearly 8,000 exchanges." He added that as of that same time, 7,115 fans had "entered M&T Bank stadium over the two-day" event. Byrne said that the team "anticipated around 5,000 for the two-day event, and gave out 5,595 replacement jerseys and 2,368 vouchers for replacements, with three hours of exchanges remaining." In Baltimore, Jon Meoli noted fans whose jerseys were "determined inauthentic were given team memorabilia instead." Team officials "did not give an exact cost for the exchange, but said estimates were over $250,000" (Baltimore SUN, 9/21). Byrne: "We anticipated over the two days getting about 5,000 people, so we got about 2,000 more. We just felt it was the right thing to do, and that's why we did it." The AP noted the "most requested jerseys" at the exchange were those of QB Joe Flacco and WR Torrey Smith. Five other player jerseys "were also available" (AP, 9/20). Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley wrote the jersey swap "should never have occurred," as it is an example of the Ravens "piling on." The initiative "feels more like a mea culpa by the Ravens, or a grand public symbol that they're further distancing themselves from Rice." Hensley: "What's next? Should the Ravens remove Rice's name from their record book? Do they plan to take down any picture of Rice at the stadium or team headquarters?" (ESPN.com, 9/19).

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