Roger Goodell Has ‘No Judgment’ on Deflategate, Feels His Job is Safe
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With just over 48 hours remaining until kickoff of Super Bowl XLIX, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held his annual “State of the NFL’’ press conference on Friday at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Addressing the ‘Deflategate’ issue for the first time since the controversy began almost two weeks ago, Goodell said that the league had not reached a finding in its probe.
“We take seriously anything that potentially impacts the integrity of the game,’’ he said, adding that the two questions the league is focusing on are “why were some used that were not in compliance of the rules, and was this result of deliberate action.’’
“We have made no judgment on these points, and we will not compromise the investigation by engaging in speculation,’’ he said. “We don’t know enough to know who is responsible or even if there’s an infraction.’’
Goodell said that he did not have an answer when questioned as to whether officials had ever tested the air pressure of a football in the middle of a game before.
Earlier this week, Patriots owner Robert Kraft had called for the NFL to issue an apology to the Patriots organization if the league determined the team did not violate any rules.
“This is my job, this is my responsibility to protect the integrity of the game,’’ he said when asked about Kraft’s comments, later adding he represents all 32 NFL teams and feels it is his job to pursue claims that the integrity of the game was compromised.
Goodell’s reputation has suffered this season in the wake of the NFL’s mishandling of incidents of domestic violence; he received heavy criticism for the original two-game suspension he handed down to Ray Rice after Rice assaulted his wife (then-fiancée) in the elevator of a Atlantic City casino.
The commissioner admitted that he and the league did not fully understand the issues of domestic violence last summer, saying that they have taken the steps to improve their handling of player personal conduct matters.
“It has been a tough year on me personally; it has been a year of humility and learning,’’ he said. “We have all done a lot of soul searching [this year], starting with yours truly.
“We didn’t fully understand those issues. We have experts now, they’re in our office, they’re helping us understand these issues.’’
When asked if he has ever envisioned anything that would make him resign or be fired, Goodell said “No, I can’t. Does that surprise you?’’
Goodell also talked about how he felt the health of all players is important, saying “we want to make sure this game is as safe as possible,’’ while announcing that the NFL will hire a chief medical officer to oversee the league’s health policies.
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