AceShowbiz -

Ray Rice's elevator attack on his then-fiancee Janay Palmer back in February reportedly was fueled by alcohol. According to a new report by TMZ, sources told the site that the footballer blamed hard liquor for his behavior at the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.

Rice reportedly told his former team the Baltimore Ravens that he and Palmer both had a heavy drinking session before the incident. The athlete has promised to stay away from hard liquor and he only drinks wine sometimes.

Rice and Palmer tried to be better people after the elevator incident, sources claimed. They were baptized again in March and routinely take part in religious meetings with other couples including those from the NFL. In a statement on Tuesday, Rice said he and his wife would "support each other."

Rice recently was cut by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after security footage which shows him knocking out Palmer in an elevator emerged online. The NFL said that they had not seen the footage until it landed online on Monday.

An anonymous law enforcement official later told The Associated Press that the video was sent to the league months ago. The source also played a voicemail which confirmed the video's arrival. A female voice in the 12-second recording said, "You're right. It's terrible." Following the report, their spokesperson, Greg Aiello, insisted that the league was "not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public on Monday."

Hours later, the NFL announced that they had hired former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III to investigate into the league's "pursuit and handling of evidence" of the domestic violence case. New York Giants owner John Mara and Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney will supervise the investigation and the results will be announced to public.