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Goodell Addresses Micro-Issues At Owners Meeting, As Guest Speaker Calls For Humility

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday concluded the owners meeting in Phoenix by answering questions about "most of the micro-issues facing the league," but left "untouched, for the most part, was an acknowledgement that ... the NFL's 32 teams spent three days digging at the root of their most damaging year in memory," according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. It began Sunday night with a "jarring keynote speech from New York Times columnist David Brooks, whose remarks about humility and character resonated throughout the league." The owners meeting annually opens with a guest speaker, but sources said that Brooks' tone "was different than most." Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy: "Normally speakers come in and it's, 'Oh, the NFL is so great.' This was, 'Well, you're doing things well in the league, but you're not really humble. So work on your humility.'" Sources said that Brooks "did not specifically reference any details of the NFL's year." But after the league "drew national criticism for its inattention to domestic violence and an ill-conceived scramble to address it, the message was clear." Murphy: "With what we've gone through this year, I think it resonated with everybody." Seifert noted Goodell "referenced the topic in his Monday morning address to owners, a revelation in itself considering that reports of his tenure have suggested an increasingly insulated power structure that views itself solely in terms of enormous economic success" (ESPN.com, 3/25). 

PLAYOFF PAYOFF? Goodell said the owners had "a healthy discussion" on the possibility of expanding" the playoff field from 12 to 14. In DC, Mark Maske notes the league and owners "have put off implementing the expanded playoffs" until '16 at the earliest. Goodell: "We want to make the regular season more important, more exciting, have more teams in the race. If we’re not doing that, then we want to make sure that we understand why and what else we could do to affect that. We also have scheduling issues as far as when we could play the games. ... So there are a number of factors that are going on that we just felt like the right thing for us to do was take another year, evaluate all this (and) make the right decision long term" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/26).

NOISE REPORT: In Atlanta, D. Orlando Ledbetter noted the Falcons "were caught off guard" when they were informed this week that punishment for their piping in fake crowd noise "would be 'severe.'" A Falcons spokesperson said that they were "not expecting to receive an update at the meeting and were not expecting an announcement." But ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Falcons, along with the Browns for their texting violations, "were informed of their pending penalties" (AJC.com, 3/25). ESPN.com's John Keim reported "no timetable exists for resolution" of either the Browns' situation or Deflategate involving the Patriots. Goodell said that the league "did not tell" Deflategate investigator Ted Wells that they "wanted a resolution before the start of the NFL draft on April 30." Goodell: "We've asked him to be thorough, complete and when he's finished with that he'll give it to us." As for the Browns' texting controversy, Goodell said that it "does not matter" what GM Ray Farmer was texting to coaches during a game last season. Goodell: "It's not whether they got an advantage or not, it's the fact that you broke the rule" (ESPN.com, 3/25). In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot cites a source as saying that the Browns have "been informed that the ruling will be handed down next week" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 3/26).

UP ON THE ROOF
: In Houston, John McClain notes teams with retractable roofs must "declare them to be open or closed 90 minutes before the game," but in a "one-year experiment, the NFL will allow the teams to also declare if they might want to open a roof at halftime." If the weather is "still OK five minutes before halftime, they can open it" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/26). ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss noted the weather parameters, which are "set 48 hours before a game, will include maximum and minimum temperatures and wind speeds and the likelihood of any precipitation." In Glendale, for example, if the weather matches the Cardinals' requirements to open the roof at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, it "will be opened as soon as the first half ends" (ESPN.com, 3/26).

HEALTH CLASS: The NFL on Tuesday approved a medical timeout that would allow a trainer to stop the game if a player appeared to be disoriented. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the NFL has "tried to do so much around the safety of the game and concussions, and this is an extension of that whose time has come.” ESPN’s Keith Olbermann said, “We give them a lot of crap, and they deserve all of it. They also deserve all the credit in the world for doing this. It’s a bold move” (“Olbermann,” ESPN2, 3/25). ESPN's Michael Smith said, "It’s a step in the right direction, but they still have a long way to go." Smith: "They need one more certified trainer to serve as a spotter, because you can't always see in the open field." Denver Post columnist Woody Paige called it a "step in the right direction." Paige: "It's good for the National Football League and it’s good for the players. But you have to look at the downside, though. What happens when teams are out of timeouts and they fake a concussion? It could happen.” Meanwhile, columnist Kevin Blackistone said, "The thing I'm concerned about here is they still need to work with the sideline doctors, they need to get them removed from being connected with the NFL" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 3/25).

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