Ray Rice told Roger Goodell he punched girlfriend, sources say

NEW YORK, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Former Ravens running back Ray Rice told NFL commissioner Roger Goodell he punched his then-fiancee unconscious in an elevated in an Atlantic City casino, sources told ESPN.

The Baltimore Ravens terminated Rice's contract Monday after video surfaced of the running back punching girlfriend Janay Rice, who is now his wife.

The NFL said it never saw the video of the incident when it initially assessed a punishment of a two-game suspension to Rice.

"When we met with Ray Rice and his representatives, it was ambiguous about what actually happened," Goodell said earlier this week about the incident.

But sources tell ESPN there was no ambiguity about the incident because Rice fully admitted what happened to Goodell during a June 16 disciplinary meeting.

"Ray didn't lie to the commissioner," a source with knowledge of the meeting told ESPN. "He told the full truth to Goodell -- he made it clear he had hit her, and he told Goodell he was sorry and that it wouldn't happen again."

"He told the truth," a second source said. "This is a public lynching of Ray."

"There was no ambiguity about what happened [in the elevator]," another source said.

Yet another source said Rice told Goodell he "slapped" Janay Rice.

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller III is launching an investigation into how the league handled the domestic abuse case.