ESPN legal analyst Lester Munson typically has good information to share, whether writing for ESPN.com or making TV appearances. The Big Lead found him on Dan Le Batard's radio program Tuesday with a lot of useful comments and insight into the NFL's handling of the Ray Rice situation. Munson made some of the same points on TV, though we don't think we've seen enough of him during this entire process.
Nonetheless, his insights on radio, transcribed by The Big Lead, are very useful:
"The most interesting thing to me is to watch how these NFL security people operate. I have encountered them in the course of my reporting. I was bumping into them in the Michael Vick story for about three weeks in Virginia. They are expert investigators, former federal agents, a lot of police chiefs, a lot of detectives — they know exactly what they're doing. And, if they want something, believe me they can get it. My takeaway is they did not want to see the video of what happened in the elevator, and therefore they didn't get it. They could have had it if they wanted it. If TMZ can get it, the NFL security force can get it."
And, on whether he believes NFL execs saw the video:
"I believe that if they didn't see the video, it's because they did not want to see it. Somebodysaw it. The Commissioner didn't see it. It gives him a platform now to try to explain what has happened. I think there's some manipulation going on there, and it's not a big surprise if you've seen these guys in operations before."
Long story short: A very good legal mind who knows how NFL security operates is calling out the NFL.
