Robert Mueller III, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director, has been tasked to head the investigation on the allegations regarding the mishandling of the National Football League (NFL) of ex-Baltimore Ravens athlete Ray Rice domestic abuse case. This declaration was reportedly prompted by the report released by the Associated Press, which revealed that a law enforcement authority sent the NFL officials a video footage showing the "knocking out" elevator incident.

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According to the official, who opted to remain anonymous, the league still failed to properly mete out a punishment for Rice despite receiving the domestic violence video in April. However, the NFL consistently denied knowledge of the video and domestic abuse involving Rice until the footage went viral on Monday.   

The investigation to be led by Mueller will be conducted under the supervision of NFL owners John Mara and Art Rooney. In a statement released by the league, Mara of the New York Giants and Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers are both lawyers. Mueller will also be granted access to league records and personnel, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declared. The completed report will be made public upon the conclusion of the investigation.

Goodell, who has been known for his rigid rules on NFL athletes who disobey the rules, has been heavily criticized over the issue due to his decision to suspending Rice for only two games following the surfacing of the video. "People expect a lot from the NFL," Goodell stated. He also clarified that he is still in the process of gathering additional information regarding the domestic violence issue. "We embrace that. That's our opportunity to make a difference, not just in the NFL, but in society in general," he shared.

Greg Aiello, a spokesperson from the NFL, shared with Reuters on Wednesday that the league had no clue regarding the allegations prior to the online airing of the video earlier this week. "We have no knowledge of this. We are not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on Monday," Aiello said. However, the spokesman asserted that the NFL will investigate the issue.  

Mueller is a renowned FBI director who oversaw some of the most controversial and biggest cases of the nation. These cases included the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing incident. He was also the longest-serving FBI director since J. Edgar Hoover.

Tagsray rice, domestic abuse, domestic violence, FBI, NFL, Football, Robert Mueller, Baltimore Ravens