NFL owners last week in N.Y. "discussed the possibility of stripping teams of draft picks for repeat violations of the conduct policy," according to sources cited by Mike Garafalo of FOXSPORTS.com. Sources said that the talks on this issue and others "were preliminary, so it's unclear at this point what would constitute multiple violations and whether previous violations by a player before he's a part of a team would be taken into consideration." But it is "evident the league is considering ways to have clubs keep a closer eye on their players' off-field conduct, as well as have more consideration for the character of those players they draft and sign." Currently, the league has a "salary-remittance policy that subjects teams to fines of up to $500,000 for multiple suspensions" (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/12). ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen cited a source as saying that one concept that emerged from the meetings Wednesday is that several owners want Roger Goodell's role "to be modified so that the commissioner would not decide on the initial player punishment but rather yield to a neutral arbitration panel chosen by the union and league." Sources said that Goodell "would be the appellate officer or appoint a designated hearing officer if a player appeals his disciplinary action administered by the panel." NFLPA sources "sounded dubious about the idea and said that modifying the personal conduct policy and process requires collective bargaining." The sources added that a collective bargaining approach would "bring owners to the negotiation table, something the NFLPA would prefer on the player conduct issue" (ESPN.com, 10/12). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio noted if Goodell "plans to sacrifice power over the process, the union believes it’s critical that he sacrifice ultimate power over the process." The league "possibly will take the position that, because it currently has full authority over the personal conduct policy, the NFLPA has no standing to disagree with the NFL’s decision to unilaterally yield some of it." Eventually, a "fight could emerge on that point" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 10/12).
RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB? In Boston, Ben Volin noted several former NFLers on Oct. 1 were invited to NFL HQ "for a meeting with Goodell" on the personal conduct policy. One former player, Chris Valletta, said, "I went into the meeting not expecting anything -- whether (Goodell) should keep his job or he should be fired. Coming out of that meeting, I can without hesitation tell you that he is the right person for the job" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/12).
HOLD YOUR TONGUE: USA TODAY's Lindsay Jones wrote the number of penalty flags thrown over the past season and a half "show the NFL is working harder to police on-field language by penalizing players heard to be using racial slurs or other forms of abusive language." Refs "called 22 fouls for abusive language last season, double the total" from '12. There have been "seven such penalties this season." Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation Chair John Wooten said that two of the flags in '14 have "come as the result of a player using a slur." Wooten's group "pushed for the league to penalize use of such language" (USATODAY.com, 10/11).
