The Baltimore Ravens front office learned the details of Ray Rice’s disturbing surveillance video, which shows the running back knocking out his then-fiancée with a punch, hours after it took place in an Atlantic City, NJ, hotel casino elevator on February 15, according to an ESPN “Outside The Lines” report.

The report states that Darren Sanders, the Ravens director of security, called an Atlantic City police officer by phone and the official proceeded to describe in detail what he was seeing. Sanders reportedly then conveyed the disturbing information to Ravens executives.

The report alleges that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome began “extensive public and private campaigns pushing for leniency on Rice.”

In addition, the report states that Rice’s lawyer Michael J. Diamondstein obtained a copy of the elevator footage in April way before TMZ Sports released the video on September 8 — and told Cass that “it’s f-----g horrible.” Cass in turn did not reportedly request a copy of the video.

"It was our understanding based on Ray's account that in the course of a physical altercation between the two of them he slapped Janay with an open hand, and that she hit her head against the elevator rail or wall as she fell to the ground," the Ravens said in a statement Friday, as reported by ESPN. But "Outside The Lines" insists that Sanders shared the detailed description he received with Ravens officials in Baltimore.

Earlier this month, a story surfaced about the NFL being sent the Rice video in April to which the league commissioner Roger Goodell denies.

In addition, the “Outside The Lines” report states that Ravens coach John Harbaugh asked the organization to release Rice immediately when the first footage of the running back dragging his then-fiancee off the elevator surfaced in February days after the incident. ESPN states that Harbaugh’s plea was rejected by Bisciotti, Cass and Newsome.

"The ESPN.com 'Outside the Lines' article contains numerous errors, inaccuracies, false assumptions and, perhaps, misunderstandings,” the Ravens said in a statement Friday. “The Ravens will address all of these next week in Baltimore after our trip to Cleveland for Sunday's game against the Browns." 

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