NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today addressed the media during the final day of the NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. Goodell said he was not concerned that Saints GM Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton were naming their replacements while they are on suspension. He said, “Ultimately, the owner is going to have to make the final decision. They’re suspended from operations during that period of time but they’re going to have to make decisions on how the Saints are going to be operated, either as a group or however (Saints Owner) Tom Benson wants to do that.”
Goodell said in terms of allowing casino sponsorships in the NFL, “If you look at us versus other leagues, we’re not changing our position on sports gambling. … We have evolved very slowly over this and … we’ve kept a real distance between gambling and the NFL and we intend to continue to do that. But we have frequently modified that over years. We do it on a regular basis and we’re doing it now.”
Goodell said in talking to the retired NFL players, “They want an organization that’s going to represent their interests.” Goodell: “We have provided loans, we have tried to do what we can to support that independence and to allow them to get started. What we that to be is self-funding and an independent organization and while we’re willing to continue to try to help them get to that point, they’ve got to stand on their own two feet at some point. Otherwise, you’re not truly independent” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 3/28).
