Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Armed with labor peace for the next 10
years, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discussed a number of topics Friday in
his annual state of the league address.
Last year's session with the assembled media centered around the impending
collective bargaining talks with the union. After a work stoppage was averted
in the summer and in the wake of another successful 2011 campaign, player
safety was at the forefront on Friday, while Goodell also spoke about recent
rumors of expansion and more prime time games for the NFL Network.
"We are focused now on how to improve every area of the game, from the game on
the field to the fan experience and everything in between," Goodell said as
part of an opening statement before fielding questions for about an hour.
The prevention and treatment of concussions, as well as other ways to make the
game less dangerous is paramount for Goodell and the league. There have been
numerous concussion lawsuits filed by former players in recent weeks.
"We will always make sure player safety is a main focus," Goodell said. "We
will continue to address medical issues. We will try to help our retired
players, current players and future players by making the game safer."
Goodell said the league is using sideline replays to help doctors in their
medical evaluations during the playoffs and indicated that it is a practice
that will likely continue during the 2012 regular season.
"We're not going to relent on safety," Goodell added later, saying "medical
decisions will override competitive decisions."
The commissioner said the league was at the forefront of concussion-related
injuries and is always gathering more information.
"We're all learning [about brain injuries]," he noted. "What I'm proud of is
the NFL's leading the way. This is a serious injury and needs to be taken
seriously, not just in football, but in all sports."
Speculation about potential expansion is just that, Goodell noted, despite his
remarks on Thursday that indicated the league would grow by two teams if it
ever did consider the issue.
"We have not talked about expansion in the league at all," Goodell said. "It
is not on our agenda. I do not see that in the foreseeable future. We want our
teams to remain where they are."
He did, however, speak about the league's desire to return to Los Angeles,
although whether that was through expansion or an existing team relocating was
not clear.
"We've got to find a way to make it work for both parties," he said, adding
that labor peace and the new television deals have made the concept more
realistic. "We would like to be back in Los Angeles if we can do it correctly.
I think that the [labor and TV] foundation can be helpful for coming back to
LA. We now have a runway for 10 years. We know what our labor situation is and
we know what our TV situation is."
As for television, Goodell announced that the league is expanding its schedule
of games on the NFL Network from eight to 13 for next season. It will include
more Thursday night games earlier in the season.
"We think that's great for fans and for teams to get that prime time
exposure," he said.
Another question was raised about the potential of expanding the Monday night
schedule to doubleheaders, but Goodell said that has not been considered.
As for expanding the season to 18 games, one of the roadblocks in the latest
CBA talks last summer, Goodell continued to say it would have to be discussed
again with the union.
Goodell noted that Indianapolis has been a wonderful host for this week's
festivities and was asked about future Super Bowl sites, including more cold
weather cities. The New York City area will host a Super Bowl in two years and
the commissioner said the league would wait to add any potential non-domed
cold weather sites until after the first one takes place.
"I'm a big believer the game is played in all elements," Goodell said.
"It's a great part of our history. There's another side that believes when you
get to the Super Bowl, the elements shouldn't play a part."
Other topics included the league's desire for more stadium upgrades or new
construction, similar to Thursday's announcement of a new building for the San
Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. Goodell hoped the league could help San Diego
with its desire for a new building.
Testing for human growth hormone, which the union agreed to in the new CBA,
could begin this offseason. It was expected to start during the 2011 season,
but the union balked at the testing process.
Goodell said the two sides have had recent positive discussions regarding the
subject and those would continue in the coming weeks.
There wasn't much talk about the sometimes acrimonious labor issues from the
summer, but it was brought to the commissioner's attention that the teams of
two of the men who played such a big role in the outcome -- Patriots owner
Robert Kraft and Giants co-owner John Mara -- were in the Super Bowl.
"Those two individuals deserve a lot of respect and appreciation," he stated.
The Sports Network