Baltimore Ravens

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has just released his report about his 4-month investigation into the NFL's handling of the Ray Rice situation ... and essentially says the NFL dropped the ball.

"We concluded there was substantial information about the incident even without the in-elevator video –indicating the need for a more thorough investigation."

"The NFL should have done more with the information it had," Mueller said.

Mueller also called BS on an Associated Press report which claimed a female employee received the video before it was published on TMZ Sports.

"Responding to a news story that a woman at the NFL confirmed receipt of the video in the April 9 call, investigators traced every outgoing phone call from the NFL, and took several other investigative actions that are detailed in the report.

"The investigators interviewed every female employee, contractor or vendor whose electronic badge recorded that she was in the league's main office on that day. Each was asked whether they made such a call or had any knowledge about the receipt by the NFL of an in-elevator video of the Rice incident."

Mueller says his investigators spoke with more than 200 NFL employees and searched more than 400 computers but didn't find a single digital trace or sign of the in-elevator video before we published it on TMZ Sports.

The report also says, "League investigators did not contact any of the police officers who investigated the incident, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, or the Revel to attempt to obtain or view the in-elevator video or to obtain other information."

Mueller says investigators also set up an anonymous tip line for NFL employees -- but "we received no calls."

Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement, "While this investigation has now concluded, our focus on the underlying issues and our commitment to positive change remain as strong as ever. We have all learned a great deal in the past months and expect to be judged by how we lead going forward on issues of domestic violence and sexual assault."

Ben Affleck says the Baltimore Ravens are the absolute WORST matchup for his beloved Patriots ... telling TMZ Sports he's got a healthy fear of Joe Flacco.

A pumped up Affleck (seriously, this dude is SWOLL) was leaving Tavern in Brentwood when he told us he wishes Brady and company were facing a weaker opponent this weekend (a shot at the Steelers perhaps?).

Check out the clip ... Affleck breaks down the NFL playoffs and even tells us the teams he fears the most.

But when push comes to shove, Ben says he believes in his boys ... though he wouldn't go as far as his BFF Matt Damon -- who predicted a Super Bowl victory earlier this week.

Stay tuned ...

The woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by Darren Sanders -- Director of Security for the Baltimore Ravens -- has a rap sheet which includes allegations she lied to obtain prescription drugs ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... the woman has been arrested at least 3 times since 1999 ... all three incidents involve drugs.

But the most relevant to the Ravens' case is a 2006 plea deal -- in which she pled guilty to possession of a forged prescription.

It's possible Sanders could use her criminal record to attack her credibility ... especially since there's a case where she was convicted of fraud.

The woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by the Baltimore Ravens Director of Security claims Darren Sanders had been drinking before groping her at the stadium ... this according to new docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

In court docs filed in Maryland, the accuser gives her side of the story in great detail ... and claims she first came into contact with Sanders at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 14th around 7:30 PM ... hours after the Ravens defeated the Browns.

In the docs, the woman -- who claims she works for a company that provides custodial/janitorial services for the Ravens -- claims Sanders hit on her ... telling her she was sexy and that he liked her.

The woman claims, "I could smell alcohol on him."

The woman claims Sanders groped her butt multiple times -- each time she swatted his hand away.

When she told Sanders he was out of line, he allegedly responded that he "did what he wanted around here."

After the incident, the woman says she immediately contacted her boss -- who contacted police ... and they immediately launched an investigation.

Cops ultimately found there was enough evidence to book Sanders with 4th degree sexual assault.

As for Sanders, he's on paid-leave from the Ravens -- but denies any wrongdoing.

10:20 AM PT -- Sanders has been placed on paid leave, per the NFL's personal conduct policy ... according to team officials.

He will not travel to Pittsburgh with the Ravens for the playoff game vs. the Steelers on Saturday.

Darren Sanders -- the head of security for the Baltimore Ravens -- is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during a game ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We obtained the police report filed by a woman who claims she was working at the stadium on December 14th -- when the Ravens were playing the Browns -- and was asked to escort Sanders to another part of the building.

The woman claims while doing the escort, Sanders "hit and/or groped her buttocks more than once as they walked down the third level hallway."

The woman claims the abuse continued when they got to the 3rd floor lobby ... when he "pressed his body against her's and kissed her neck and attempted to force her to grab his penis."

The woman says she was able to walk away -- and immediately told 4 co-workers about the incident.

Cops investigated the situation and eventually charged Sanders with a 4th degree sexual offense. Investigators say at least one witness "observed part of the interaction" between Sanders and the woman.

Sanders lawyers are adamant -- Darren did nothing wrong. A hearing is set for Feb. 9th.

Baltimore Ravens superstar Steve Smith Sr. pimped the hell out of his feet this season -- with at least 7 pairs of INCREDIBLE custom cleats ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

As we previously reported, cleat customization is all the rage in the NFL this season -- with huge stars like DeSean Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Reggie Bush and others going to famous sneaker artists for some added flair.

And Smith is no exception -- tapping David Zambrano ... aka DEZ ... for several pairs of personalized kicks ... with some of the coolest designs we've ever seen.

Dez also whipped out a pretty badass pair for Steelers linebacker James Harrison.

As Deion Sanders once put it ... "If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good."

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Ray Rice and then fiancee Janay Palmer were handcuffed the night of the Atlantic City elevator fight ... and even kissed each other in an elevator as police escorted them out of the casino.

The surveillance video posted by ABC News shows cops seated with Ray and Janay at separate tables in the Revel Hotel and Casino.

About 1 minute into the video police start to walk Ray and Janay out, they put them both together in the same elevator. Remember this isn't long after Ray knocked out Janay in an elevator.

Listen up, President Obama ... Joe Flacco wants to make sure you know he's never been in "127 Hours" or "Spring Breakers" ... and he's definitely not the co-star of "The Interview."

POTUS made a huge flub during his news conference Friday -- mashing up James Franco's name with Joe's -- and the Ravens QB quickly responded.

The prez was talking about the Sony cyber attack and "The Interview" ... saying, "a satirical movie starring Seth Rogen and James FLACCO. I love Seth ... I love James."

Flacco razzed the president by tweeting, "@barackobama: It's James Franco, not James Flacco ;)" He also shouted out James ... welcoming him to the fam.

Still ... imagine Franco putting on the pads to take on J.J. Watt and the Texans this weekend. THAT would be awesome.

Ray Rice is back in the good graces of many Baltimore Ravens fans ... who flocked to him last night during a Christmas charity event.

Ray and Janay Rice went to a Toys for Tots drive organized by his ex-teammate Torrey Smith -- and no one shied away from Ray as he walked around the event. In fact, he and Janay posed for several pictures with people during his first public appearance since his suspension was overturned.

Organizers say this is the 3rd consecutive year that Rice has pitched in with the charity.

He told a reporter for WJZ ... "I just made a horrible mistake in my life but you know, if they truly believe in second chances - they would forgive me "

We've said it before -- comebacks happen all the time.

Ray and Janay Rice partied hard Monday night ... their friends threw them a surprise party -- complete with cake and hard booze -- to celebrate being in Baltimore for seven years.

Janay posted a few pics from the party at their home -- looks like they played Cards Against Humanity and drank beers and a handle of Fireball.

We don't know what Ray was drinking, but as we first reported -- he blamed the entire elevator incident on hard alcohol and told friends he was swearing off the stuff completely.

Janay captioned her pics with: "our Bmore family is seriously the best!!! We thought we were having a normal Monday night then the doorbell rang...little did we know there they were with drinks, food, games, and the most of all love & support!"

One of her hashtags was "#lovenomatterwhereweare" ... perhaps an acknowledgment that after 7 years they'll most likely be leaving Baltimore when -- and if -- Ray gets picked up by another NFL team.

President Barack Obama just went after Roger Goodell -- saying the NFL Commish is "winging it" when it comes to the league's disciplinary action on domestic violence.

Obama called in to ESPN's "The Herd" and talked to Colin Cowherd about the Ray Rice situation.

"The way it was handled also indicates that the NFL was behind the curve," Obama said ... "As a lot of institutions have been behind the curve, in sending a clear message.”

That's when Obama took aim at Goodell -- who's been under fire for being inconsistent with the punishment he's dished out to players.

"You don’t want to be winging it when something like this happens. You want to have clear policies in place."

Roger Goodell ADMITTED he didn't thoroughly read NFL security reports about the Ray Rice elevator attack ... this according to new transcripts from the Rice suspension hearing.

The transcript, obtained by ESPN, contains testimony from November when Goodell was asked about the NFL's investigation into the Rice elevator attack.

During questioning, Goodell acknowledged that several of his officials gave him detailed security reports about the incident ... but Roger admitted he "didn't read it from start to finish" and "I didn't look at them closely."

There's more ... when asked why the NFL never made a "formal request" for the elevator footage from the Atlantic City PD, Goodell gave a bizarre answer.

First, he argued that he didn't know what the word "formal" meant because "I am not an attorney." Then he admitted that he didn't "know the specifics" about if or how his team tried to get the video.

The NFL's lead investigator, Jim Buckley, also gave a shocking statement -- saying when it came to the Atlantic City PD or the casino where the attack occurred, "I never contacted anyone about the tape."

As for Ray, the transcript shows he told NFL officials he "hit" Janay Palmer inside the elevator that day ... though Goodell insisted Rice said he merely "slapped" her.

When Rice was questioned about the incident by the NFL in June, Goodell never asked a single question himself ... instead leaving the interrogating to his deputies.

The transcripts show that the Revel Casino put together it's own investigative report about the incident ... in which it details Rice "punching" Janay in the elevator.

Dr. Drew says he's very concerned about Ray and Janay Rice -- telling TMZ Sports it's "good" they're staying together ... but says they're in major denial about the magnitude of what happened.

Drew says the way Ray and Janay are chalking up the elevator attack to "one bad night" is bizarre -- and it "minimizes a very serious situation."

"For them to stay together is a good thing. But for them to sort of minimize it and be in such denial about the magnitude of what happened? I mean this is a violent attack. "

Ray Rice says the disastrous news conference he and Janay held together in May was a "horrendous mistake" ... but he's pointing the finger at the Baltimore Ravens.

Ray broke his silence with Matt Lauer during a stand-up interview in his kitchen for the "Today" show ... and said of the P.R. debacle, "I made a tremendous mistake not apologizing to my wife."

Ray and Janay also took heat over the May 23rd event because Janay APOLOGIZED for her role in the elevator incident.

"When we was going in, we were given what to speak about. It wasn't truly coming from us," Ray says.

So, who told them what to say? Janay claims the Ravens "gave us a general script" going in to the news conference that day ... and Ray and Janay did what they were told thinking the team would have their back.

During the interview, Ray also told Matt he had never laid a finger on Janay before the elevator attack.

Ray Rice has finally returned to the bar scene -- partying at a NYC nightclub for the first time since he attacked his wife at an Atlantic City casino back in February ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

Rice hit up Bounce Sporting Club in Manhattan late Saturday night/early Sunday morning -- where he posed for pics with fans and chatted with anyone who approached him.

We're told security was trying to keep fans away from Rice -- but Ray was talking and making conversation with people anyway.

The timing is interesting ... considering Ray won his appeal on Friday -- and then hit the club right after. It feels like a celebration.

One source tells us Janay was with Ray at the club -- though we can't confirm that yet.

Everyone we spoke with says Ray was NOT drinking at Bounce.

As we previously reported, Ray claimed he was highly intoxicated when he struck Janay in Atlantic City -- and says ever since that incident, he's cut hard liquor out of his life.

Janay Rice says the elevator attack was all part of God's plan -- telling Matt Lauer she believes she and Ray were "chosen" to help bring awareness to domestic violence.

Janay says she believes there is a "silver lining" to the incident ... explaining, "I feel like God chose me and Ray for a reason, and it was definitely to bring awareness to what people are going through every day."