Former FBI director Robert Mueller III has been tasked by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to investigate how the league pursued and handled the evidence for the Ray Rice domestic violence case.

According to a report, an anonymous law enforcer sent the video tape which caught Rice punching and knocking out his partner, to a NFL executive last April, months before the news broke out. Goodell claimed that Mueller's independent investigation will focus on how the league reacted with the presented evidence.

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The NFL also gave Mueller full access to the league's records and personnel.

New York Giants owner John Mara and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney will overlook the independent investigation. Both owners are also lawyers by profession.

Mara said on a released statement that the NFL was right by not going directly to law enforcement for the said video.

"The notion that the League should have gone around law enforcement to obtain the video is, in my opinion, misguided, as is the notion that the Commissioner's job is now in jeopardy," said Mara.

The result of Mueller's investigation is expected to be publicly released.

Mueller was the director of the FBI from 2011-2013. Apparently, he doesn't have any official deadlines for his investigation. The last investigation ran by the league was headed by attorney Ted Wells. Wells' investigation with the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal involving Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin took three months to finalize

In a statement, the NFL has denied any knowledge of the possessed video.

"We have no knowledge of this," said the statement. "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."

However, a source gave the Associated Press access to a 12-second voicemail that confirms the arrival of the said video in the NFL's offices. The voicemail was recorded in April 9 in which a female voice says the tape was received, says thanks and remarks with: "You're right. It's terrible."

The AP has placed Goodell under fire because of the commissioner's insistence that no one in the league knew of the video before TMZ publicly released it.

Rice is indefinitely suspended by the  NFL since the release of the video last Monday. 

TagsRobert Mueller III, NFL, ray rice