NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to reporters Wednesday after the announcement of the league's new personal conduct policy. One of the first questions he answered: Why didn't the league decide to go with a neutral third-party arbiter to settle appeals?Â
"Well, several factors," Goodell said. "One is there's no system that we found is better than the system that we announced today. We felt that ... whether it's multiple inputs, we are going to allow a new individual to make the initial disciplinary decision.
"If there is an appeal, I could hear it. I could assign it to the designated hearing officer, or I could hear from a panel. So what we are looking to do is bring more voices to the table, more respected, so it is a fair, transparent, open process with consistency. And really Mr. Kraft mentioned it as well this morning.
"We want to make sure that we do what's in the best interests of the NFL long-term. That we are able to have a system that reflects the values, the standards of what we're all about. And that's why we put a lot of focus over the last four months on what's best for the NFL."
Here were some other nuggets from Goodell's press conference:
» Goodell said the league will hire a disciplinary officer as soon as possible.
» The Commissioner stressed that he will not have any role in the initial discipline under the new conduct policy.
» The league will not address potential playoff expansion until March.
» Goodell said there has been "progress" in finding the right situation for a team in Los Angeles.
"We did have an update on Los Angeles this afternoon," he said. "We continue to work to see if there is a solution for us. I'm not at the point where I would tell you that anything is imminent, or that we have a solution identified at this point in time.
"I think there is progress, but we've all heard that before. I think what we're looking for is a solution; when we have a solution, we'll certainly tell everybody about that."
