Giants President & CEO John Mara at the NFL's owners' meeting yesterday said that concussions "are the 'No. 1 issue we have right now,'" adding that the league "needs to keep pressing" to understand and prevent them, according to James Kratch of the Newark STAR-LEDGER. Mara said, "We have to do more. It's a long process, and we need to understand more about it. Particularly how to prevent it. There's going to be a lot of research done on helmets going forward. Can we make the helmets safer? We understand more than we did years ago, but we're still not even close to having the knowledge that we need to have going forward." Mara's comments come after NFL Senior VP/Health & Safety Policy Jeff Miller last week acknowledged that there is a link between football and CTE. Mara said that he disagreed with the notion that the NFL outright denied the impact of head trauma and CTE, saying Miller's comments were not "any startling revelation." Mara: "I didn't really think what he said was anything new. I know it was portrayed that way. Listen, there's no secret that repeated concussions can have a serious, long-term effect" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 3/21). In Philadelphia, Zach Berman notes there also will be "more interest in how owners and league personnel view concussions" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/21).
REEL IN THE POWER: In Boston, Karen Guregian notes a report that the NFL and NFLPA are "getting closer to a deal that would strip" Commissioner Roger Goodell of some of his off-field disciplinary power was "news" to Mara. He said, "I'm not sure where that came from. ... We're still in the middle of discussions with the union about the personal conduct policy. We have a long way to go before we reach any type of agreement on that" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/21). Also in Boston, Ben Volin wrote Goodell's role as chief disciplinarian has "brought a lot of negative publicity" to him and the NFL that "can be avoided." Volin: "Will Goodell eventually cede his role as the arbiter of player discipline? Probably." The likeliest solution is to "have one appeals officer, or perhaps a panel of three officers, hear all appeals in a swift, efficient manner." But "don't think for a second that the owners are simply going to give away their powers for nothing." If the NFLPA "wants to have a say in the process, it will have to give something big in return -- an extension of the current owner-friendly CBA, or concessions pertaining to league revenue" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/20).
WHAT'S IN STORE: In L.A., Sam Farmer noted among the many topics the NFL Competition Committee will discuss this week is "how to regulate the gloves worn by virtually every player, but in particular those worn by receivers" (L.A. TIMES, 3/20). The GLOBE's Volin notes NFL head coaches are "in for a drama-free week," as they will "vote on 30 proposals pertaining to the rules of the game and the league's bylaws" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/21). In Ft. Lauderdale, Omar Kelly writes the emphasis of this year's meeting is to "make the game safer" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 3/21).
SPEAKING OUT: Seahawks CB Richard Sherman yesterday called Goodell's suggestion that a player with two personal fouls be ejected from games "foolish." Sherman said, "It sounds like something somebody who's never played the game would say, something that they would suggest, because he doesn't understand. He's just a face. He's just a suit. He's never stepped foot on the field and understood how you can get a personal foul" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 3/20). In N.Y., Ebenezer Samuel writes Sherman, who "has long been critical" of Goodell, "ripped" him again (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/21).
