Jason Witten weighs in on Ray Rice situation

Jason Witten isn’t ready to express judgment on how NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league have handled the Ray Rice situation up to this point.

“Somewhere the ball has been dropped, but I’m hesitant to really comment on it just because I don’t really know who got what and how it all went down,” Witten said.

But Witten, who grew up with an abusive father, didn’t hold back on speaking out against Rice and domestic violence. He called the TMZ video released earlier this week that showed Rice knocking out his now wife, Janay, in an Atlantic City hotel elevator “unacceptable” and “disappointing.”

“Obviously it’s something I feel strongly against,” Witten said. “More than anything, domestic violence is real and something that goes on a lot and frequently.

“I think big, strong athletes that can stand up against that can show the way in a lot of ways. And I think a lot of athletes do a good job of that, but obviously seeing the video was disappointing to see.”

The video sparked an outrage and Goodell promptly suspended Rice indefinitely. The Ravens also terminated Rice’s contract.

But the tide has turned on Goodell and the NFL now with how they handled the case. The league has stated they did not see the additional video until TMZ posted it, however, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press that he did, in fact, send the footage to the NFL well before the Rice suspension was handed down.

The NFL is having the entire situation independently investigated.

This story was originally published September 11, 2014 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Jason Witten weighs in on Ray Rice situation."