Did the NFL see the video? That’s the question that has been buzzing around the sports world ever since TMZ released footage of Ray Rice hitting his then-fiancée inside an Atlantic City hotel elevator. The league has denied that they saw the videotape, but a law enforcement official has told the Associated Press otherwise.

The person who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity, due to the ongoing investigation, said that he sent the video to an NFL executive in April, but he could not confirm who in the league office viewed the video. To prove that an exec in the league office did receive the video the law enforcement official played a 12-second voice mail from a NFL office number on April 9. A female voice on the recording thanked the person for sending the video and says: 'You’re right. It’s terrible.'”

Since the release of the controversial footage, the NFL has maintained that no one in their office had seen it. Commissioner Roger Goodell told CBS on Tuesday that the league asked for the tape, but never received it.

"We assumed that there was a video. We asked for video. But we were never granted that opportunity," Goodell said.

The AP spoke to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy about this latest development.

"We have no knowledge of this," McCarthy said Wednesday. "We are not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on Monday. We will look into it."

Ray Rice has since been cut from the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the league.

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(Photos from Left: Rob Carr/Getty Images, Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)