The NFL has announced that it will look into claims that an executive in their office was handed the video of Ray Rice striking his wife three months before its release online.

A report from The AP claims that a law-enforcement official handed the CCTV footage, which shows Rice punching his wife in an Atlantic City hotel, to an executive at the league three months before it was made public by TMZ on Monday.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday that he and the officials at the league had not seen the video until it was released online, despite handing Rice an initial two-game ban after the incident.

An NFL spokesman said in a statement: "We have no knowledge of this. 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."

Rice was suspended indefinitely by the league and cut by the Baltimore Ravens in the aftermath of the video's release.