UFC prez: If Goodell saw Rice video before, he 'should get up and leave on his own'
UFC president Dana White wouldn’t want to be Roger Goodell right now, but does have an opinion about what the NFL commissioner's next act should be.
White said Wednesday night on FOX Sports Live that if Goodell saw the awful second video of Ray Rice slugging his then-fiancée before and only handed him a two-game suspension, the commissioner should resign.
"If Roger Goodell saw that video, knew that was what happened, knew that Ray Rice did that to his wife or his fiancée or whatever it is, he should just get up and leave on his own," White said.
A disturbing video showing football star Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee Janay in a New Jersey casino elevator in February was released this week by TMZ. It was the first time the public had seen the disturbing footage from inside the elevator. Previously, everyone saw the aftermath on video -- Rice dragging Janay's limp body out of the elevator.
The NFL suspended Rice for two games after the initial film was public. When the second -- and much more graphic -- video was released, the Baltimore Ravens cut Rice and the NFL made its suspension of the running back indefinite.
The league is denying officials ever saw the footage from inside the elevator until now, but law-enforcement sources told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the tape was sent to the NFL months ago.
"It is the most disturbing thing you will ever see," White said. "The thing that is just as bad as the punch is that he shows no remorse after he does it. If you did something in anger, you go, 'Oh my God, what did I do?' There's none of that with this guy."
White also answered questions about the UFC bringing back Thiago Silva, who was accused of threatening to kill his ex-wife in text messages and putting a gun in her mouth. Silva was arrested in February after an incident outside his ex-wife's lover's Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym in Florida and a standoff with police.
Last week, police dropped all charges, because Silva's ex-wife, Thayse, had moved to Brazil and not cooperated with law enforcement. The UFC re-signed Silva despite White having said he would never compete for the organization again.
"He went through the process and he wasn't charged with anything," White said. "The guy should have the ability to make a living."
White said the Silva situation would be different if, like Rice, there had been a video showing his wrongdoing. But there wasn't anything like that and White said he knows more about the story than the general public.
"He came away with no charges," White said. "You gotta bring the guy back."
