NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday said the league now is "focusing solely" on L.A. and Chicago as the host sites for the '15 NFL Draft, according to Sam Farmer of the L.A. TIMES. N.Y. has hosted the Draft since '65, but Goodell said that it "has been dropped from consideration for next year ... because Radio City Music Hall couldn’t offer available dates in April or May." The event is "expected to take place either April 22-25 or April 29-May 2." Goodell "declined to give a timetable on when the league will make its choice." Farmer reports the league also is "considering stretching the draft from three days to four, a concept that would test the creativity of the NFL considering the interest naturally wanes in the later rounds." But Goodell acknowledged that keeping viewers "tuned in for a fourth day would be a challenge." Goodell: "We’re talking about different concepts, primarily how to strengthen the last day and whether we should maybe push that back to the clubs a little bit more and allow the clubs to have a little bit more freedom as more of a club day" (L.A. TIMES, 7/18). In N.Y., Bart Hubbuch notes the league "isn’t ruling out returning" to N.Y. in '16 or beyond if Radio City or "another suitable location becomes available" (N.Y. POST, 7/18). NFL Network's Jordan Babineaux notes one of the "most exciting things" at the Draft in recent years has been Jets fans, who have become "really known for their booing or their chants, depending on how crazy the picks are." Babineaux: "But the league is always experience growth and experience different things, especially of that can benefit from it." ("NFL AM," NFL Network, 7/18).
