Prior to the release of Ted Wells' condemning report, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell already had been speaking with players about locker-room life so the league could learn from what happened inside the Miami Dolphins' workplace.
Peter King of TheMMQB.com reported Monday that Goodell met with more than 30 players in the past two months to get their opinions on how to improve NFL locker rooms.
"Commissioner, we need you to set standards," Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant recently told Goodell, which was confirmed by King. "We need you to make it black and white. We need standards, and if we don't meet them, we shouldn't be here."
For players like Avant, professional standards are necessary so they all aren't branded with the same immature label as Richie Incognito.
According to King, the NFL would like to push for training programs, seminars and a code of conduct. In short, players wearing pads would receive similar treatment to the suit-wearing executives.
"I think you'll see workplace training conducted for the football side,'' NFL vice president of player engagement Troy Vincent said. "The kind of respect-at-work training that happens on the second floor, in the business offices, needs to happen on the first floor, with the players.''
Some of the suggested workshops include sexual orientation, diversity, domestic violence and training in workplace professionalism, according to King.
NFL players will say that playing football and working in a locker room is not like a normal office job. But that doesn't mean professionalism, tolerance and basic adult maturity are to be ignored.
There surely still will be some rookie hazing -- such as singing a fight song or picking up doughnuts on the way to work. However, a standard code will help improve team culture and save respectable locker rooms from being lumped in with the ones described in detail in Wells' 144-page report.
NFL owners are scheduled to meet March 24-28 in Orlando, Fla.
On the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys debate Joe Philbin's future in Miami before playing another round of "Win Wess' Toaster."
