TMZ has obtained video footage that allegedly shows Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City hotel elevator earlier this year.
The incident, which allegedly occurred on Feb. 15, earned Rice a two-game suspension, a punishment that has been widely criticized for being too lenient.
Other players, such as Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon and Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker, were recently dealt longer suspensions for drug-related allegations.
The newly released footage shows a man reported to be Rice entering the elevator with a woman believed to be Janay Palmer, who is now his wife. The man can be seen hitting the woman, who then hit him back. After that, the man delivered an apparent knockout blow before carrying the woman out of the elevator.
Previous surveillance footage had only shown the aftermath.
Rice was indicted in March, but agreed to enter a pretrial diversion program. The third-degree aggravated assault charge against him will be dropped in a year if he completes the program.
In July, he said that he made “the biggest mistake of my life,” and called the altercation a “one-time incident.”
After a public outcry over Rice’s suspension, the NFL instituted a tougher protocol for domestic violence and sexual assaults last month. The new policy will include a six-game suspension for first time domestic violence incidents and a lifetime ban for a second offense.
Warning: This video is graphic.
