Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti broke his silence Monday and denied allegations that he and other team officials had tried to sway the NFL to be lenient with Ray Rice after the star player's arrest last February.

According to Bisciotti, he felt the need to respond to an ESPN story released last week that involved him, president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome. The story claimed that the three Raven officials tried to convince NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to lighten Rice's punishment.

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''Their accusations didn't jibe with what we know is fact," said Bisciotti further claiming that he never tried to contact the league in Rice's behalf. 

"I expected four of six games and I was surprised as everybody else that it was two.''

The running back was suspended for two games last February after a video of him assaulting then-fiancée Janay Palmer in a casino elevator went viral. However, he faced graver consequences after a new video surfaced last Sept. 8 showing him punching his partner unconscious, and then dragging her out of the elevator. Rice was released by the Ravens and was indefinitely suspended from the league.

Bisciotti stated that the controversy he is experiencing with the Rice case is the biggest crisis he has experienced in his 14-year career.

''When your integrity is questioned, it's pretty humbling. Last week it was our competence being questioned. Now it's our integrity.'' said Bisciotti.

Biscioitti claimed that he had no prior interest in seeing the Rice video and that this was a fault in his part.

The Ravens owner also noted that ESPN was being biased with their story. According to him, it was clear that the network was trying to help Rice and his colleagues build a case for reinstatement.

''As I stated in our letter to you on September 9, we did not do all we should have done, and no amount of explanation can remedy that. But there has been no misdirection or misinformation by the Ravens.

ESPN reported in their story that Bisciotti texted the running back, offering employment after he was done with the league. Rice then told friends that he felt insulted and that the offer was akin to hush money.

The Ravens owner said that he is now wondering how the NFL will react if an incident like this occurs in the future.

''I would lose faith in the league if this happened next year and their response is unsatisfactory. If I'm asking people to give me another shot, then I certainly would ask you to give the league office another shot.''

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