NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last Thursday “had a confidential meeting with the most vocal leaders of the retired players groups,” including George Martin, Willie Lanier, Bruce Laird, Ron Mix and Carl Eller, according to CBS' Charley Casserly. Mike Ditka was “not at the meeting, but he had input.” Casserly called the meeting "historic," as it is the "first time the retired players have been able to meet with the league and have a voice in how the hundreds of millions of dollars will be distributed to the players in the pension fund.” The "next step" is for Goodell to meet with the NFLPA, which “was invited to the meeting and did not attend, to make a final determination on how the money is going to [be] split up.” The meeting with Goodell comes after a group of 28 former NFLers filed a lawsuit against the NFLPA and Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith (“The NFL Today,” CBS, 9/18).
HGH TESTING COMING SOON: ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen cited sources as saying that the NFL is "expected to have HGH testing within five to 10 days on a marginal level." There is still "no agreement reached yet between the two sides." However, both the NFL and NFLPA "have received pressure from politicians, the latest being Sen. John McCain, who has joined those urging the league and union to commence testing" (ESPN.com, 9/18).
