Ray Rice press conference - Baltimore Ravens

According to ESPN’s Don Van Natta, Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome testified on Thursday during Ray Rice‘s appeal hearing that he heard the former running back tell NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that “he had hit his then-fiancée in a casino hotel elevator.”

This, of course, contradicts Goodell’s assertion that Rice “used ambiguous words to describe the assault.”

The NFL Players Association released the follow statement after the hearing on Thursday:

"The NFLPA thanks Judge Barbara Jones for presiding over a fair and thorough hearing," the statement said. "This is the first time in the history of our League that a disciplinary hearing has been conducted pursuant to a joint agreement on a neutral arbitrator. We commend NFL owners and officials for the wisdom of this decision which enhances the credibility and integrity of our business. The collectively bargained rights of all players must be vehemently preserved and we take that obligation seriously."