Advertisement

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti denies coverup in response to ESPN report

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said he was surprised as anyone at the light punishment handed down by the NFL in response to Ray Rice's domestic violence accusations.

By Aileen Graef
Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti speaks to the press about the recent release of Ray Rice and the team's knowledge of Rice's physical altercation with his then-fiancee, at the Raven's practice facility in Owens Mills, Maryland on September 22, 2014. UPI/Kevin Dietsch
Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti speaks to the press about the recent release of Ray Rice and the team's knowledge of Rice's physical altercation with his then-fiancee, at the Raven's practice facility in Owens Mills, Maryland on September 22, 2014. UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo

BALTIMORE, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti refuted an ESPN report that he lobbied the NFL to give Ray Rice a pass after Rice was arrested for hitting his then fiancee Janay.

In a press conference Monday, Bisciotti said the team in no way tried to cover up the incident of domestic violence by giving false accounts. He said he did not ask the NFL to be lenient on Rice, and that he was surprised as everyone at the disappointing two-game suspension.

Advertisement

"I don't think the league would take too kindly to us badgering them," Bisciotti said. "I didn't really care. If it was going to be a precedent-setting (suspension of) four or six games, I would have told Ray not to appeal it."

Bisciotti said the sources cited in the ESPN report were people who worked or were friendly with Rice and wanted him to get back in the league.

"They are building a case for reinstatement. And the best way to build a case for reinstatement is to make it seem like everyone else is lying. Their accusations didn't jive with what we knew as fact," he told reporters.

Advertisement

In response to the outrage over the botched handling of the Rice case, the NFL suspended him indefinitely after he was cut from the Baltimore Ravens. Critics are still calling for the resignation of both Bisciotti and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Bisciotti said this can be a learning opportunity for the NFL.

"The question is, what are we going to do next year as a team, and what is the league going to do next year or the next time this happens?" he said. "I would lose faith in the league if this happened next year and their response is unsatisfactory. If I'm asking people to give me another shot, then I certainly would ask you to give the league office another shot."

ESPN released a statement following the press conference saying they stand by the reporting.

Latest Headlines