NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is "working with the Titans organization to 'ensure the team is under the proper ownership structure,'" according to Jim Wyatt of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. Dialogue "had been taking place between the two sides even before the group’s recent shift in the family-owned team, and it’s expected to continue." Goodell at yesterday's owners meeting in Phoenix, said, "This is something we have been working on since Mr. Adams passed away. We want to ensure that the team is under the proper ownership structure, as well as making sure it is being represented properly not only in Nashville and the Tennessee market, but also at the league level." Following the death of team Owner Bud Adams in October '13, his daughter Susie Adams Smith was "appointed controlling owner of the team by other family members," and his son-in-law Tommy Smith was named President & CEO of the franchise. At the time, the NFL "signed off on the provisional agreement unless other owners withdrew their consent." More recently, the "family consensus that Susie Adams Smith should be the controlling owner began eroding, contributing to Tommy Smith's retirement after 17 months on the job." Interim President Steve Underwood this week said that the family "has no intentions of selling the team" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 3/26).
