League Office Issues “Clarifications” Goodell Comments From Last Week

BasX · Mar 31, 2009

In a move that highlights the importance of the messages both sides in the NFL’s looming labor battle will be sending to each other through their comments to the media, the league office has issued “clarifications” as to three published reports regarding Commissioner Roger Goodell’s comments from last week’s annual meetings.

“He did not say he expects to get a deal [on a new CBA] before the 2010 uncapped season,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said via e-mail. “He does not know when we will get a deal (no one does) and expressed no preference on a precise timetable for getting a deal done as it relates to the uncapped year.”

Last week, Sean Leahy of USA Today reported that, as to the possibility of an uncapped year in 2010, Goodell said, “I don’t believe that will be the case.”

As to the potential expansion of the regular season, Aiello explained that Goodell didn’t say that he hopes to present a proposal for a vote at the next ownership meetings in May 2009. “He said it’s possible there could be a vote at the May meeting,” Aiello said. “He did not rule it out. It depends on how the analysis progresses.”

We possibly bear from responsibility for any confusion on this one, to the extent that we misread the New York Times‘ report that a vote “could” happen as a statement that it “will” occur. (We usually are careful to interpret “could” as “could” and not as “will,” and we apologize to Goodell, to Judy Battista of the Times, and to the audience if we screwed this one up.)

Finally, Aiello pointed out that Goodell didn’t say he is opposed to expanded playoffs. “He said a restructured season and expanded playoffs are separate issues that we would consider and that some clubs favor expanded playoffs and some don’t,” Aiello said. “But Roger did not take a position on it.”

Here’s what Goodell said last week, per the Associated Press: “Some clubs believe we should expand the playoffs. I don’t think it’s required as part of the restructuring of the season to expand the playoffs. The opposing view is, let’s not water down something that’s tremendous. We still have 32 teams. We should keep it to 12 teams and it should be special to be able make that. It makes the regular season special, that you have to qualify to get into that postseason.”
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http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009...arifications-goodell-comments-from-last-week/

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League Office Issues “Clarifications” Goodell Comments From Last Week

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