The NFL could "take two paths to a new personal conduct policy: one for players, and one for all other NFL employees, including owners," according to Peter King of THE MMQB. It could take "significantly longer" to agree to a Personal Conduct Policy with the NFLPA, so the NFL is "likely to have a two-step process here -- a conduct policy for all other employees, owners and league officials, perhaps finished before Thanksgiving, and then one for players." The player policy could "end up being very similar to the one for other employees, but it’s too early to tell that yet; the NFL has only recently begun discussions with the NFLPA." There is "likely to be one onerous part of the policy for NFL personnel -- from owners to administrative assistants -- that hasn’t existed before." The NFL could adopt a policy that if an employee is "charged with a serious crime, such as happened" in the case of Colts Owner Jim Irsay, the league "could put the employee or owner on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the case." This would be a "sea change from the current policy." If the plan "under consideration now is put into place, a similar occurrence would get the owner or employee banned until the case is adjudicated." League officials are in the "final stages of fact-finding in the next week or two," and the "sculpting of a policy for employees and owners should happen soon after that" (MMQB.SI.com, 10/20).
FIGHT FOR POWER: In Boston, Ben Volin reports NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is "consulting a wide range of groups to create a new personal conduct policy for the league -- former players, domestic violence prevention groups, law enforcement, and more." However, the NFL office "apparently doesn’t want to cede any power" to the union. Goodell met with NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith "for several hours to discuss the policy, and will take the union’s input into consideration." But the NFL ultimately "wants final authority to create the policy, without having to collectively bargain with the union" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/20). CBS Sports Network's Amy Trask said she believes the NFL "understands that it's important that the players have a role in redefining and enforcing a comprehensive player conduct policy." But she asked, "What is that role? The league is characterizing the players' involvement as discussions. The players’ association is characterizing those discussions as part of a collective bargaining process and that’s a very, very big legal distinction." Trask: "Whether it will be determined to be part of a collective bargaining process, I don’t think that’s correct. I don't think the players have that right, but I do think that the league is correct to listen to them and have those discussions” (“That Other Pregame Show,” CBSSN, 10/19).
RICE REINSTATED? CBSSPORTS.com's Jason La Canfora cited sources as saying that suspended free agent RB Ray Rice "could be reinstated within the next four weeks." An appeal hearing date "has been set, with a final decision expected to come in an expeditious manner thereafter, and all of that could be resolved by mid-November, which would conceivably allow Rice to sign with another team this season." There is "every expectation his playing status will be resolved before the NFL's investigation into its handling of his case, being conducted by former FBI chief Robert Mueller, is completed" (CBSSPORTS.com, 10/19).
