NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was at Buffalo Bills training camp in Rochester today to meet with Bills owner Ralph Wilson and New York State Senator Chuck Schumer. The Commissioner discussed a number of topics including the Bills in Toronto this season, Marshawn Lynch’s offseason traffic incident and Brett Favre’s “unretirement” situation. Here’s the transcript:

On status of small market teams and conversation with the Senator:
The nature of the conversation was to find out how the Bills are doing and fortunately that’s good news. The effort here to regionalize the team further into southern Ontario and into Toronto has been a very big success for the team and I think that’s something we’re all proud of, the fact that we can now make the team stronger here in western New York. That’s good for the team and it’s good for the fans.

On Toronto ticket status:
The game hasn’t been played yet so I think at this stage right now this is the way that they’re marketing the games — the whole series and the individual games — and I’m confident that the game’s going to be well received there.

On Brett Favre and his involvement:
I was asked to get involved. We had a charge as it relates to tampering, which is a very important rule from our standpoint. And then I was asked to be involved with some various discussions between the parties, which is an issue that is important for the Green Bay Packers. They have rights here. It’s important for Brett Favre. He has rights also. And I’m glad to see that they’re all productive discussions and they’re talking directly to one another. They’re both important to the league going forward and hopefully they’ll reach a proper resolution.

On having any input in Brett’s decision to hold off for a couple of days:
I didn’t, and from my standpoint these are decisions that the team and Brett are going to have to make individually based on what their desires are. The most important thing is that they’re communicating properly and they both understand what’s important to one another.

On stance of tampering investigation:
We’re in the middle of the investigation. Hopefully we can finish it up quickly, but as soon as we get to a conclusion we’ll announce it.

On the concerns of the allegation:
We take every tampering charge seriously. As you know, we did discipline a club earlier this year for a violation of the tampering policy. It’s been an important policy so we will enforce it.

On importance of Brett Favre if he decides to come back:
Brett Favre’s a great player, a great competitor, and I think it’s been a great reflection on the Packers and the NFL. So if Brett Favre wants to return and play, I think that would be a great thing for the fans and for the league.

On any indication that Favre has made a commitment to coming back:
I’ll let Brett Favre speak for himself. I think Brett is very capable of doing that. He doesn’t need a spokesman.

On Marshawn Lynch and his incident being a league issue:
I spoke to Marshawn this morning. I met with Marshawn and he understands his responsibilities as an NFL player. I think the facts are clear on the case at this point in time and I don’t plan on any discipline.

On Marshawn’s response:
He understands the responsibility. He understands what it means to be an NFL player and how he has to represent himself, his teammates, and the Buffalo Bills, and he knows how important that is.

On talks with the Senator and Mr. Wilson on future with the Bills:
We’re talking about the future of the Bills and what we can continue to do to make sure that the Bills continue to be successful here in Western New York. And we did discuss that. We’ve talked about the initial steps here as far as regionalizing to southern Ontario and the Toronto series. And that has been a very positive step for the Bills in western New York.

On decision for no punishment for Lynch:
Because it was reduced to a traffic violation and I think when you look at the facts and understand exactly what happened after some of the initial reports, I think that it’s not a violation of our personal conduct policy. On the other hand, Marshawn understands that these things are important to the league and that he will avoid those types of situations in the future.

On NFL personal conduct policy:
I think the players are getting enough of a reminder on this issue. I speak about it frequently. We send documentation to the players. I think they understand the responsibility. And I think that of our players in general, I’m very proud of what they do. We have great representatives in our community. In reality, you have a few players that do things that are inconsistent with those policies. Unfortunately, they get a lot of attention but that’s the reality of our world.

On advice to Lynch:
I think you have to balance that with what his legal rights are and what was being done. He was cooperative. The district attorney has indicated that, so I think you have to balance your legal rights and what you have to do to protect yourself individually. And I want our players to make sure that they do that properly, and they have good counsel and that’s important to have.

On this being his first training camp visit:
I do a series of training camp visits every year; I’ll be doing roughly eight to 10 this season. And I haven’t been here to Rochester and I wanted to be here, and the Senator was available so it was a good opportunity for us all to be here.

On attending Toronto game:
I don’t know yet. Not the preseason game. I know I have a conflict on that.

On Toronto series:
I think it’s been very successful in making the Bills stronger in western New York, which is our effort here to make sure the Bills stay here successfully in western New York by expanding the region in which they draw fans. It’s bringing more people down from Toronto. They’re spending more money in western New York. It’s good for western New York; it’s good for the Bills; and so far it’s been a great success.

On Kemp and Cuomo’s interests to buy:
I’m aware they have a special fund that’s created for investments in to NFL and other sports teams. We have a very strong policy that we want a principal owner that speaks for the team, speaks to the community but also is a representative on the league level. They’re aware of those policies if they want to own an NFL team, that those opportunities exist, but it’s very important for us to have a principal owner like Mr. Wilson that will not only represent the team and the community, but also participate in league level matters.

On if he’s heard from Kemp or Cuomo:
I’ve talked to them about their concept many times. We have others that have had very similar concepts and that were interested in ownership throughout the league.

Source: NFL Media

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Attends Buffalo Bills Training Camp, Takes Questions

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell delivered his annual “State of the NFL” address (aka the Super Bowl press conference) today and was questioned on a wide variety of subjects from NFL International to concussions, steroids and player conduct (among others). The first and most prolific topic of conversation was not only the New England Patriots “Spygate” scandal from earlier this season, but also Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter’s public opinion of it from earlier in the day. Yes, earlier in the day. Good timing, Arlen. It was Senator Spector’s opinion that the NFL should not have trashed the evidence and he felt Commissioner Goodell’s explanation as to why he discarded the evidence “didn’t make any sense at all.” (In case you didn’t know, Commissioner Goodell said he was convinced the Patriots had forwarded to him all the evidence for which he had asked and he didn’t want any more leaks — like the one that allowed Fox network to obtain a copy of the taping against the Jets.) Sen. Specter then called the Commissioner before the Senate Judiciary Committee to talk about what he described as “the inexplicable destruction of the spygate tapes.” Commissioner Goodell’s response was:

“… of course I am more than willing to meet with the senator. I think there are very good explanations for the reason why I destroyed the tapes or had them destroyed by our staff. They were totally consistent with what the team told me. There was no purpose for them. I believe it was helpful in making sure our instructions were followed closely, by not only the Patriots, but also by every other team. I think it was the appropriate thing to do. Our discipline sent a loud message, and I think the team should be congratulated on their success.”

When pressed further about the issue in regards to unanswered questions like, “Why did the Patriots do it? How long were they doing it? What advantage did they get from doing it? What did they do with the information? And did it help them win any games?” the Commissioner said:

“First off, the answers to why they did it have to be answered by the New England Patriots. That is not something that I was really concerned with. As far as it relates to what we found, it was totally consistent with what the team told us. Many of you saw it because it was leaked, one of the tapes. It was very clearly a coach making signals and it shows the down and distance. I believe there were six tapes and, in fact, in one of the tapes, one of the coaches was waving at the camera, indicating that they understood that they were being taped. I think as far as the actual effectiveness of taping signals, as you all know, taking signals from opposing football teams or in other sports is done and it is done quite widely and teams prepare for that. There isn’t a team that doesn’t go into a game prepared for that because of the complex nature of the way they handle either their wristbands, different coaches sending signals in live or not. They all protect against that. I think it probably had a limited effect, if any effect, on the outcome of any game. But that doesn’t change my perspective of if you are violating the rules, you should be punished for that. You should be disciplined, and I think we did that very aggressively.”

Very aggressively, indeed. Commissioner Goodell fined coach Belichick $500,000 and docked the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick. It was the biggest fine ever for a coach and the first time in NFL history a first-round draft pick has figured in a penalty.

This is old news and I think we ought to put it to rest. If the Patriots win Sunday, it will continue to be a topic of conversation forever. I’ve said before that “Spygate” does taint this undefeated season for the Patriots, even if ever-so-slightly. It’s just a fact they broke the rules. But I don’t think the videotaping had any effect on that lopsided win over the Jets, which was just one of 18 wins so far. What New England has done has been incredible and we ought to recognize it for the amazing achievement that it is. As for Sen. Specter, I think he should just stick with politics and keep his nose out of the NFL.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Answers ‘Spygate’ Questions in Annual Address

Green Bay Packers WR Koren Robinson has petitioned for reinstatement following a one-year suspension and is eligible to return to the NFL next week — Wednesday, October 17 to be exact. And I hope Commissioner Goodell grants that request.

Koren has had his share of alcohol-related problems since he entered the league back in 2001, but after talking with him a couple years ago as a Minnesota Viking, I felt certain he was on the right track. He admitted to having a problem with alcohol and was doing everything in his power to turn his life around. Unfortunately, his power wasn’t enough and he was cut by the Vikings after leading police on a 100 mph car chase with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. Prior to the incident, he told me, “Everyday, I’m working on myself to be a better person.” And I believed him. He talked about his actions off-the-field and how that was not the person his parents raised him to be, that he was better than that. I know he was trying. I could hear it in his voice. I could see it in his face. It’s not easy to admit your problems and weaknesses to the whole world, but that’s what he did. He had to. He was working with AA and doing absolutely everything he was supposed to do to get right. Then, the unexpected happened. I guess his demons were more than he could handle. That’s the only way I could explain it. And in his case, demon alcohol was once again getting the better of him.

Now, I don’t in any way condone what he did — DWI. It’s bad enough that alcohol is his problem, but when you get behind the wheel of a car, it has the potential to become a lot of other people’s problems, too. And that’s very, very serious stuff. Koren would be the first to admit that was a horrible mistake.

Some people will say that Koren Robinson has already had enough chances — that he blew it. But I believe he deserves one more shot to make something of himself in this league. And I trust that Commissioner Goodell, after talking with Koren, will see that he is a (still) young guy who can be a productive player and person with the Packers and the NFL community.

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Koren Robinson Deserves Another Chance

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had a busy day today. I’ll get right to the specifics. For the New England Patriots‘ illegal videotaping incident I initially mentioned a couple days ago, Commissioner Goodell fined head coach Bill Belichick half a million dollars (the league max under their Constitution and By-Laws); he fined the team $250,000; and depending on where the Pats finish the season, they will lose a draft pick or multiple draft picks. (If they make the playoffs, they lose a first round pick. Otherwise they will lose second and third round picks.)

I know a lot of people were hoping for some kind of suspension, but the Commissioner felt the punishment delivered today was enough. In a letter to the Patriots he said, in-part:

“This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field ….. I specifically considered whether to impose a suspension on Coach Belichick. I have determined not to do so, largely because I believe that the discipline I am imposing of a maximum fine and forfeiture of a first-round draft choice, or multiple draft choices, is in fact more significant and long-lasting, and therefore more effective, than a suspension.”

I agree. It was the biggest fine ever for a coach and the first time in NFL history a first-round draft pick has been confiscated as a penalty. That’s a lot of money no matter how much money you make. And the loss of high draft picks can be devastating, although the Pats are scheduled to select two first-rounders in 2008. But once again, it points to this Commissioner working hard to make things right and clean up a league that we’re finding had a lot of cleaning up to do.

Coach Belichick then issued his own apology, saying:

“As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week’s game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress. Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect. With tonight’s resolution, I will not be offering any further comments on this matter. We are moving on with our preparations for Sunday’s game.”

The biggest question that remains unanswered is how long this has been going on. Both the NFL and Coach Belichick stressed that the camera was seized before the end of the first quarter of last weekend’s game against the Jets so it really had no impact on that game. But the Philadelphia Eagles would like to know how long the Patriots have been spying on their opposition. They were on the losing end of a 24-21 Super Bowl XXXIX game to the Patriots back in 2005.

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Patriots Hit With Fines, Loss of Draft Picks

Here’s the transcript from Commissioner Goodell’s press conference at the annual NFL Rookie Symposium in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

How the Symposium has lasted this long and the concern about players in their first year.

COMMISSIONER: The focus for us is how do we make these guys better men. What can we do to help prepare them for the decisions they will have to make as NFL players? It’s a big transition from college, so I think we’re providing some tools for them. The big focus for us is how do we expand on this, how do we make it better? It’s a great start but we want to make sure that we continue to promote these messages and give the players the kind of resources and tools they need to make good choices.

On the rookies and if they asked questions of him.

COMMISSIONER: Yes. I thought they were great. There were a lot of questions. They were good questions, direct questions. I think that’s terrific and I’m glad they felt comfortable enough to ask them.

If this will help the players in the long term. Is the goal to help them no matter what kind of career they have?

COMMISSIONER: The whole focus is how do we make these men better men, and how do we make sure that they understand that the skills they learn here are life skills; things that will help them throughout their lives and well beyond their NFL career.

How the message on player conduct is getting across.

COMMISSIONER: I think we’re being more clear with them of what we expect. There is a higher standard of behavior being that they are football players. The vast majority of our players do understand; only a select few of our players don’t. They get a lot of focus, they get a lot of attention, and it has a negative impact on the players in our league and the NFL in general. I think they have a better understanding of what we’re going expect from them in the future.

Why do they have a better understanding?

COMMISSIONER: Because we reinforce it at every opportunity. We feel very strongly here. The clubs are doing it at the club level and I think what we’ve done with the personal conduct policy came out just great. There are not many people who are unaware of what our standards are.

Why some players still don’t seem to grasp it.

COMMISSIONER: I’d be naïve to think that everyone will understand it. We’re going to have to make it a priority going forward. Again, we’re making players more aware of our standards of behavior. Secondly, we’re giving them more tools and resources to make sure that they can make those decisions, and hopefully that will have a great impact.

What you discussed with the players.

COMMISSIONER: Several things. I just tell them a little bit about my own background, being in the league for 26 years. I told them about what I think is important with respect to supporting the NFL shield. I did discuss personal conduct. I did talk about our responsibility to them, and about the resources we’re providing to them. I spoke to them about how important it is making their families proud in everything they do both on and off of the field.

The reaction of the players while he was speaking.

COMMISSIONER: I thought they were outstanding. It was a little difficult in the room to survey every conversation. You could tell the players were engaged. They asked very good questions, very responsive questions to what I had said, and I think they listened very intently.

The process in evaluating a violation of the policy.

COMMISSIONER: First we get the facts, and then once we’ve done that we make an evaluation of where it sits in our personal conduct policy and make a determination.

Overall goal of the symposium and this class of rookies.

COMMISSIONER: That we are concerned about them as men. Not only how they become great NFL players but how they become great men. How they conduct themselves appropriately for the remainder of their lives, not just in the National Football League.

How did the players ask questions? Did they raise their hand, stand up, grab a microphone?

COMMISSIONER: They did both, they had a microphone. They asked a lot of questions about the services they have available to them, what we could do to help them, am I available, what is my perspective and how I go about making decisions. They were very good questions.

Your perception of how the fans perceive personal conduct issues. Do you believe personal conduct is a problem in the fans’ eyes?

COMMISSIONER: The reaction I’m getting from the fans is quite supportive. We are standing up; we are making sure our players are held to a higher standard. They want that. People have put an awful lot of time, energy, money, into the National Football League, and I want them to feel good about what they’re doing.

Whether the symposium always has the same focus.

COMMISSIONER: We adapt the symposium to whatever the issues are at the time. We obviously have adapted the agenda here to some extent to make sure it’s responsive to issues that they may be facing, that they’re comfortable making the transition to pro football from college football.

Congressional hearing on retired players.

COMMISSIONER: The focus on retired players is that we have an obligation and a responsibility to retired players. I think we’ve done some very positive things for retired players and we’re considering doing some additional things that I think are quite responsive to the issues. I’ve spent a fair amount of time listening to retired players and listening to what the issues actually are. Both Gene and I will be having a meeting with the retired players on July 24th to talk about some of the ideas that we’ve been developing and hopefully we’ll be able to move this forward. I think we’re being very responsive to our retired players and I understand the interest in this. I hope were going to be seen in a very positive light in terms of being responsive to this.

The London Game and the loss of a home game for the Dolphins.

COMMISSIONER: I understand that and that’s why we’ve said all along that we’re going to have a limited number of regular-season games overseas because we recognize that it can be difficult for fans and they lose one of their eight regular-season home games. It’s not going to happen on a frequent basis. Even if we did two a year it wouldn’t happen frequently. On the other hand, any time a fan loses a home game we understand it’s a negative. We’re glad it’s on television. It’s not the same experience, but I think the club should be proud that their fans are going to be able to see it on television and more importantly they’re expanding on a global basis. Hopefully some good will come out of that. There’s not much I can say other than that. The fact is they are losing a regular-season home game.

Reaction to Pacman and Tank’s latest issues.

COMMISSIONER: We’re waiting to get the facts. They’re both under suspension right now so we’ll look at the facts and take it under consideration. They understand, as part of their suspension, that we’ll be evaluating every activity that is going on with them. They understand that so we’ll take that under consideration.

Hearing their names continually coming up in the news this offseason.

COMMISSIONER: I would rather them be making good choices. They know that and knew that when I met with them, and they each pledged to try to make good choices going forward. We’re trying to do everything we can to support them to make choices. If they don’t, that’s the decision they make and it will affect their future.

Reaction to hearing these names again.

COMMISSIONER: Disappointment, more than anything else. Either they aren’t getting the message or they don’t have the ability or the desire. It’s disappointing.

(Roger Goodell photo courtesy NFL)

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s Rookie Symposium Press Conference Transcript

In the violent world of the NFL, helmet-crushing hits that sometimes cause concussions are commonplace. Research has shown that multiple concussions can cause permanent brain injuries, possibly leading to debilitating memory loss, confusion, dementia and even suicidal depression. A host of former players and one unlikely advocate from the world of pro wrestling have turned to the NFL for answers, but have been disappointed with the response. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg investigates this volatile topic.

It was very much a slam on the NFL’s concern regarding concussions, but that is simply not justifiable anymore. If there was, in fact, previous disregard by the league on this subject, it looks like that’s about to change. Earlier this week at the NFL’s Spring Meetings, Commissioner Goodell reviewed with NFL clubs consensus medical recommendations regarding the management of concussions.

The standards are based on extensive medical research and discussion. They were recommended by the NFL’s independent committee on mild-traumatic brain injury (MTBI) chaired by Dr. Ira Casson of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, and Dr. David Viano of Wayne State University. Commissioner Goodell said:

“NFL clubs do an excellent job in the care and management of concussions that affect NFL players. It is important that we articulate for our clubs and players, and for the broader medical community, the standards our clubs are applying as we work together to protect the health of our players. The overriding principle governing management of concussions in the NFL is that medical considerations must always have priority over competitive situations.”

The recommended standards include the following elements:

• Medical decisions must always override competitive considerations.
• Neuropsychological baseline testing will be required for all NFL players beginning this season, using a standardized test to establish an individual functional baseline. Neuropsychological testing is one tool a physician can use to assist in the management of MTBI. It cannot be used by itself to make clinical decisions. For players removed from games due to concussions, repeat testing will be done during the season to track recovery and to help decide when they can return to play. These players also will be re-tested against their baseline performance the following season at training camp.
• An NFL MTBI conference will be held on June 19 in Chicago for all NFL team physicians and athletic trainers to share the most up-to-date information on state-of-the-art care and management of concussions.
• The MTBI Committee will continue to operate as an independent group. Three non-NFL affiliated physician have been added to the committee (Joseph Maroon, Joel Morgenlander, and Thomas Naidich). The goal of the committee remains the advancement of scientific knowledge of MTBI through well-conceived research to protect the health of NFL players and improve the safety of the game.
• To promote the use of best practices by all teams, the evaluation procedures used by NFL teams will be shared among all medical and training staffs.
• A brochure will be developed and distributed to NFL players to help educate players and their families about concussions, including how to recognize the symptoms of a concussion and recommended treatment procedures.
• Return-to-play decisions should continue to be made by team medical personnel using their expertise and professional judgment.
• The NFL rule requiring every player to wear a chin strap that is completely and properly buckled to the helmet will be strictly enforced. Teams and players will not be permitted to modify the attachment of the chin strap to the helmet or improperly modify the helmet in any other way. The longstanding safety-related rules related to the use of the helmet also will be strictly enforced.
• The NFL will establish a “whistle blower” system so that anyone may anonymously report any incident in which a doctor is pressured to return a player to play from a concussion or that a player with a concussion is pressured to play. The NFL will investigate any such reports and take whatever action is necessary.

I will be curious to see if anything develops further after the NFL MTBI conference in a few weeks, but these above-mentioned elements are strong in outlining the care of concussions and treating them with the seriousness in which they need to be treated.

The NFL MTBI Committee is nothing new. It was established in 1994, but they’ve launched a new study to determine if there are any long-term effects of concussions on retired NFL players. I think it’s pretty clear after watching the HBO piece that there are. Retired tight end John Mackey is pretty much a basket case, sadly suffering from a form of dementia that has removed nearly all of his short-term memory. Ted Johnson (former Patriots LB) now forgets people’s names, misses appointments and suffers from depression and an addiction to amphetamines. He said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion, which was against the advice of the team’s top trainer.

The studies will continue, but one thing we can be sure of is that the NFL is taking a proactive approach to ensure the safety of the players.

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NFL Outlines Standards for Concussion Management

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2011 Super Bowl Tops Spring Agenda

“I feel like whatever sanction he (the Commissioner) imposes, I’m man enough to take it and I know that once I get back on the field, that chapter of my life is closed and I can move on with a sense of closure. Mr. Goodell has the league’s interest to look out for. Whatever sanction he imposes, I know that it’s in the best interest of this league. I can’t say what would be fair, what would be unfair. But I do know that meeting Mr. Goodell, he’s a fair man. He gave me the opportunity to speak with him. He gave me the opportunity to convey some of the things that I want to get better at. I feel like whatever he imposes, meeting him and knowing he’s a fair man, is in the best interest of the league. One day I want to be the face of the league for guys who have come through adversity, came through it and ultimately became the Man of the Year in the NFL. That would be a tremendous ending to the story.”

Tank spent 60 days of a 120-day sentence in jail for violating his probation (found with six unregistered firearms in December 2006) on an earlier gun charge from 2005. He was released last Sunday for good behavior and practiced with the Bears during their minicamp today.

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Tank Johnson Willing to Accept Punishment

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Pacman Verdict Still Pending

It’s a good idea to form such a committee because both sides are looking out for the betterment of the game. The Commissioner will get a clear-cut picture of where the players are coming from. And the players will get the Commissioner’s point-of-view. Will it work? I think by simply forming the committee, it brings more noticeability to the fact that the league won’t tolerate unruly behavior among its players. The formation of this committee, along with the upcoming Player Conduct Policy (and most likely the punishment handed down to Pacman Jones) demonstrates the league’s commitment to making the NFL a top-notch organization with a heightened awareness of its social responsibility.

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Player Advisory Committee Forming