It's honestly getting very difficult to keep track of all the things that Roger Goodell has said this week that have turned out to be either patently false or extremely unlikely to be true. Let's see if we can put them all down in once place.
Untrue statement from Roger Goodell: What happened in the elevator was ambiguously described to him:
That's why we asked for it on several occasions. Because when we make a decision we want to have all the information that's available. And obviously that was the — that when we met with Ray Rice and his representatives, it was ambiguous about what actually happened.
Refuted by OTL:
"Ray didn't lie to the commissioner," a source with knowledge of the meeting told "Outside the Lines." "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."
Untrue statement from Roger Goodell: It would have been illegal to request the elevator tape from the casino:
We did not ask the Atlantic City casino directly for the video. Again, our understanding of New Jersey law is that the casino is prohibited from turning over material to a third party during a law enforcement proceeding, and that doing so would have subjected individuals to prosecution for interference with a criminal investigation.
Refuted by the New Jersey Attorney General:
Paul Loriquet, the Director of Communications for the New Jersey Attorney General, tells TMZ bluntly, "No, it's not illegal."
To be clear ... our question was very specific: "Is it illegal for the casino to show or provide this material to a private entity in an ongoing investigation." His answer, "No, it's not illegal."
Untrue statement from Roger Goodell: Nobody in the NFL saw the tape:
No one in the NFL, to my knowledge, and I had been asked that same question and the answer to that is no. We were not granted that. We were told that was not something we would have access to. On multiple occasions, we asked for it. And on multiple occasions we were told no. I understand that there may be legal restrictions on them sharing that with us. And we've heard that from attorneys general and former attorneys general.
Refuted by the Associated Press:
A law enforcement official says he sent a video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee to an NFL executive three months ago, while league officers have insisted they didn't see the violent images until this week.
The person played The Associated Press a 12-second voicemail from an NFL office number on April 9 confirming the video arrived. A female voice expresses thanks and says: "You're right. It's terrible."
Untrue statement from Roger Goodell: NFL security seeks information only from law enforcement and "credible sources":
Well, I don't know how TMZ or any other website gets their information. We are particularly reliant on law enforcement. That's the most reliable. It's the most credible. And we don't seek to get that information from sources that are not credible.
Refuted by any number of examples in which the NFL has sought information from sources that are not credible:
Hi, everybody. Just got off the phone with Mr. Ahlerich — nice gentleman, serious gentleman — and we discussed if I'd be willing to cooperate with the NFL's thorough investigation into Brett Favre's sexting habits.
Likely untrue statement from Roger Goodell: The NFL made no effort to acquire the elevator tape from the casino:
We did not ask the Atlantic City casino directly for the video.
Veracity of statement very seriously called into question by CBS News:
In 2009, the NFL wrote up a job description, obtained by CBS News, that defined for teams the responsibilities of the team security director.
The description says the director is required to conduct: "personal visits to local casinos, night clubs, etc. requesting the cooperation of the establishments' management in the event a player or team employee is perceived as a potential problem."
A former NFL team security director who does not want to be identified told CBS News that in his career, there was never a case where he sought surveillance tapes from hotels, nightclubs or local law enforcement and did not obtain it.
Untrue statement from Roger Goodell: His job is not in jeopardy:
O'Donnell: Do you feel like your job is on the line?
Goodell: No, I'm used to criticism. I'm used to that. Every day, I have to earn my stripes. Every day, I have to, to do a better job. And that's my responsibility to the game, to the NFL, and to what I see as society. People expect a lot from the NFL. We accept that. We embrace that. That's our opportunity to make a difference not just in the NFL, but in society in general. We have that ability. We have that influence. And we have to do that. And every day, that's what we're going to strive to do.
Refuted by haha OK, man. Whatever you say.