Factory Lines: Report States NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Never Asked For Ray Rice TMZ Video; Ray Lewis, Josh Gordon, Danny Salazar, Danny Ferry, Kyrie Irving and Ohio State Recruiting

September 4, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell walks the sidelines before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Early this morning, TMZ reported NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell never contacted the casino to request video of cut Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice cold-cocking his fiancee.

Sources from the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City told TMZ  “No one from the NFL ever asked for the video inside the elevator…video that was compelling enough to get Rice instantly fired.”

The whole Rice saga, from dragging his fiancee from the elevator, to Suspension I, to the punch video, to Suspension II is disgusting.

After seemingly skating with a two-game suspension for punching his fiancee, Rice’s story was brought back into the spotlight with TMZ releasing what happened inside the elevator Monday morning. Rice clearly punches the woman, who is now his wife, twice.

In an embarrassing attempt to save face, the Ravens and the NFL, cut ties with the running back. His team terminated his contract, and the league suspended him indefinitely.

One question should be continually be asked of Goodell:  Why did it take so long for this to happen? Yes, a picture is worth 1,000 words, but the public already knew Rice knocked out his girlfriend. It’s the reason WHY he had to drag her out of that elevator.

Goodell and the NFL created a PR nightmare by basically slapping Rice on the wrist. This is  a man who the public perceived as a monster.

Rice’s team, the BALTIMORE RAVENS, highlighted the fact that its fans gave Rice  a standing ovation during a preseason game.

• Goodell has been rightly ciritized with how he initially handled the Rice matter. Josh Gordon barley tested positive for having some ganja in his system, and the NFL wants to take a year of his playing life away. That may change today, but the inequalities of NFL penalties are just absurd.

If Goodell didn’t ask for for the video footage from the get go, the Commissioner also needs to go. He works for the owners and represents the league. And in this case, his failures are cause for termination.

• Ray Lewis, a person who’s own trouble with the law is well documented from a 1996 murder charged that was eventually reduced to obstruction of justice, spoke on the Rice matter, because Lewis is an NFL analyst for ESPN.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch transcribed Lewis’ interview, with the two-time Super Bowl champion taking about how personal this matter is because he mentored Rice, and because his mom was a victim of domestic abuse.

• Could Josh Gordon be reinstated sometime today? It’s certainly looking that way, as the 32 NFL Player Reps will vote on a new drug agreement.

Aug 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (12) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

• In the baseball world, the Indians dropped a makeup game at home to Angels. The Tribe had the daunting task of beating Jered Weaver and as you might’ve expected, they didn’t.

Weaver allowed hree runs on six hits in six innings. Weaver is 16-8 with a 3.58 ERA, while Danny Salazar allowed runs in 4 2/3 innings after tossing the first complete game shutout of his career in his previous start. This was Salazar’s worst start since Aug. 6, when he tossed just four innings and allowed five runs to the Reds.

• The Indians have to go 16-4 to reach 90 wins. Their postseason hopes dwindle with every loss.

• Former Cav and current Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry made comments about Luol Deng that began the investigation which led to the discovery of a racially offensive email from majority owner Bruce Levenson. This resulted in Levenson putting up his interest in the team for sale.

Here’s what Ferry said, via the Big Lead:

"“He’s still a young guy overall,” Ferry said, league sources with direct knowledge of the probe told Yahoo. “He’s a good guy overall. But he’s not perfect. He’s got some African in him. And I don’t say that in a bad way.” […]Ferry was on the phone with seven Hawks owners and was reading off a report in which the information, Ferry said, had been gathered through a network of scouts, officials, players, coaches and others around basketball.”"

• In other Cavs news, Kyrie Irving‘s hip injury may have been worse than everybody initially thought. Remember, we thought Irving was OK after a hard fall over the weekend, because he Tweeted as much.

• A consensus opinion from Saturday’s nights bummer loss to Virginia Tech? Ohio State’s Urban Meyer was out coached by Frank Beamer, via The Ozone.

• Ohio State lost the game on the field, but the atmosphere at that Saturday night game probably gave the Buckeyes a leg up in the recruiting wars, via Land-Grant Holy Land.