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PHOENIX – In his annual state-of-the-NFL address on Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discussed some of the league’s most serious issues, including the Deflategate controversy.
The Ted Wells investigation of New England and the reported 11 footballs that were underinflated at halftime of the AFC Championship game victory over Indianapolis will determine the Patriots’ guilt or innocence.
So far, no one has answered the question of why the Patriots’ footballs were underinflated and the Colts’ weren’t.
With many NFL owners in the audience at the Super Bowl XLIX headquarters, Goodell said Wells was conducting a “thorough and objective investigation,” and there’s no timetable for a conclusion.
“Whether a competitive advantage is actually gained or not is secondary in my mind to whether that rule is violated,” Goodell said. “That’s the integrity of our game, and when those rules are violated, we’ll take that seriously.
“We don’t know enough in this case to know who’s responsible or if there was an infraction. I want to emphasize we have made no judgments on these points, and we’ll not compromise the investigation by engaging in speculation.
“When Ted Wells has finished his investigation, we’ll share his report publicly.”
Goodell said his friendship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft would have no bearing on possible sanctions against New England.
“My thoughts are (that) this is my job,” he said. “My responsibility is to protect the integrity of the game. I represent 32 teams. All of us want to make sure the rules are being followed, and if we have any information where the potential is that those rules were violated, I have to consider that, and I have to pursue that aggressively.
“This is the job of the league office. It’s what all 32 clubs expect and I believe our partners and our fans expect. We’ll do it vigorously, and it’s important for it to be thorough and fair.”
Among the other issues Goodell addressed:
· He defended New Orleans owner Tom Benson, whose mental capacity is being challenged by his daughter and grandchildren. Benson announced they would no longer have anything to do with the Saints and New Orleans Pelicans and that everything would go to Gayle Benson, his wife of 10 years.
· He said he wanted the current 32 teams to remain in their markets and said if a team (St. Louis, San Diego or Oakland) wanted to move, it would require a vote from the owners.
· He reiterated the personal conduct policy was of the utmost importance and that he would penalize guilty players to the letter of the NFL law.
· He said the owners will consider expanding instant replay to include penalties, and they might move back extra points where they’re not so automatic.
· He said the league would hire a chief medical officer who’ll be in charge of every program involving health and will work closely with the union.
Goodell, who has been under constant criticism since the league botched the Ray Rice investigation, admitted that 2014 was a difficult time for him.
“It has been a tough year on me personally,” he said. “It’s been a year of humility and learning.
“We, obviously, as an organization have gone through adversity, but more importantly it’s been adversity for me. That is something we take seriously. It’s an opportunity for us to get better.
“We’ve all done lot of soul-searching, starting with yours truly.”
john.mcclain@chron.com
twitter.com/mcclain_on_nfl
Continue reading...
PHOENIX – In his annual state-of-the-NFL address on Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discussed some of the league’s most serious issues, including the Deflategate controversy.
The Ted Wells investigation of New England and the reported 11 footballs that were underinflated at halftime of the AFC Championship game victory over Indianapolis will determine the Patriots’ guilt or innocence.
So far, no one has answered the question of why the Patriots’ footballs were underinflated and the Colts’ weren’t.
With many NFL owners in the audience at the Super Bowl XLIX headquarters, Goodell said Wells was conducting a “thorough and objective investigation,” and there’s no timetable for a conclusion.
“Whether a competitive advantage is actually gained or not is secondary in my mind to whether that rule is violated,” Goodell said. “That’s the integrity of our game, and when those rules are violated, we’ll take that seriously.
“We don’t know enough in this case to know who’s responsible or if there was an infraction. I want to emphasize we have made no judgments on these points, and we’ll not compromise the investigation by engaging in speculation.
“When Ted Wells has finished his investigation, we’ll share his report publicly.”
Goodell said his friendship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft would have no bearing on possible sanctions against New England.
“My thoughts are (that) this is my job,” he said. “My responsibility is to protect the integrity of the game. I represent 32 teams. All of us want to make sure the rules are being followed, and if we have any information where the potential is that those rules were violated, I have to consider that, and I have to pursue that aggressively.
“This is the job of the league office. It’s what all 32 clubs expect and I believe our partners and our fans expect. We’ll do it vigorously, and it’s important for it to be thorough and fair.”
Among the other issues Goodell addressed:
· He defended New Orleans owner Tom Benson, whose mental capacity is being challenged by his daughter and grandchildren. Benson announced they would no longer have anything to do with the Saints and New Orleans Pelicans and that everything would go to Gayle Benson, his wife of 10 years.
· He said he wanted the current 32 teams to remain in their markets and said if a team (St. Louis, San Diego or Oakland) wanted to move, it would require a vote from the owners.
· He reiterated the personal conduct policy was of the utmost importance and that he would penalize guilty players to the letter of the NFL law.
· He said the owners will consider expanding instant replay to include penalties, and they might move back extra points where they’re not so automatic.
· He said the league would hire a chief medical officer who’ll be in charge of every program involving health and will work closely with the union.
Goodell, who has been under constant criticism since the league botched the Ray Rice investigation, admitted that 2014 was a difficult time for him.
“It has been a tough year on me personally,” he said. “It’s been a year of humility and learning.
“We, obviously, as an organization have gone through adversity, but more importantly it’s been adversity for me. That is something we take seriously. It’s an opportunity for us to get better.
“We’ve all done lot of soul-searching, starting with yours truly.”
john.mcclain@chron.com
twitter.com/mcclain_on_nfl
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Continue reading...
