Goodell names 6-player advisory council (1 Viewer)

[RC94]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2828525

Council will advise Goodell on player issues

NEW YORK -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has established a six-member council of veteran players to advise him on a variety of issues, including player conduct.

Most of the players named to the council, which includes players union president Troy Vincent, met this week with Goodell on the same day the commissioner heard from Adam "Pacman" Jones of Tennessee and Chris Henry of Cincinnati to discuss their off-field problems. He is expected to announce disciplinary action next week.

It will meet regularly with Goodell and Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the NFL Players Association to talk about a variety of issues, including player safety, health issues and competition.

"It is important that we know the perspective of players on issues that impact our game and our league," Goodell said in a statement issued by the league.

"We all share the same goal of improving the NFL in every way we can. Veteran leadership is critically important for our teams in many areas. These outstanding veterans can help the entire league just as they help their teams."

The group includes Vincent, currently a free agent, along with safety Donovin Darius of Jacksonville; fullback Tony Richardson of Minnesota; center Jeff Saturday of Indianapolis; linebacker Takeo Spikes of Philadelphia and wide receiver James Thrash of Washington.

The establishment of the council is consistent with the way Goodell has worked since taking over from Paul Tagliabue last September. He spent the early part of his tenure visiting teams and talking with owners, officials and players to get a feel for the league.

"This is the first time in NFL history that a commissioner has used a group of current players in an advisory capacity," Upshaw said. "The players are a great resource for our game and this is a direct way of getting their input. This is a good example of how the new commissioner is leading through strong communication. We appreciate what he is doing."

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

Somebody please advise me what else Roger Goodell has done in his first year as commissioner. I'll sit and wait for my answer.

 

[BigRed]

"else?"

I didn't think it possible to have a lamer or lesser backboned commissioner than Tagliaboob, but hhe might just make it. lol @ a "player advisory council." If he can't figure out how to treat thugs (how exactly is that rocket science in the first place?), he's either dumber than Forrest Gump or proving to be a major kiss-### IMO. Maybe he and Upshaw have a closet thing going.

 

[redman]

Somebody please advise me what else Roger Goodell has done in his first year as commissioner. I'll sit and wait for my answer.

From Wiki:

Actions as commissioner

In November 2006, Goodell announced plans to expand the NFL beyond 32 teams within the next decade. As it is planned, these new teams will be the first to be placed outside of the United States. Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the leading candidate for a future franchise, followed by Mexico City, Mexico.[8]

And he's of course taken a direct, hands-on approach to player discipline. What have you done in the last 8 months . . . besides blindly pimp the Bears?

 

[redman]

"else?" I didn't think it possible to have a lamer or lesser backboned commissioner than Tagliaboob, but hhe might just make it. lol @ a "player advisory council." If he can't figure out how to treat thugs (how exactly is that rocket science in the first place?), he's either dumber than Forrest Gump or proving to be a major kiss-#### IMO. Maybe he and Upshaw have a closet thing going.

Having a player advisory council means that player discipline meted out by the league will have a better chance of sticking in the face of objections from the players union. It seems like a solid idea.

 

[softball]

Total BS council. This is real "brother in law" league kinda crap.

Any of these guys going into a locker room after having tossed out a teammate/friend/peep/whatever of THEIR team or one of the others will be a shunned man.

It will last a year...then no one will want to be on it.

 

[ROCKET]

I can see the first pick in the 2018 draft pull an Eli-Elway and refuse to sign with the Mexico City Bulls. WTF would want to play or live in that city? I would give the guy a pass for refusing to go there unlike the dooshbags mentioned earlier who dissed Baltimore and SD.

 

[Pat Patriot]

I can see the first pick in the 2018 draft pull an Eli-Elway and refuse to sign with the Mexico City Bulls. WTF would want to play or live in that city? I would give the guy a pass for refusing to go there unlike the dooshbags mentioned earlier who dissed Baltimore and SD.

When they put a franchise in Mexico is when I give the player a pass for refusing to play for who drafts him.

 

[Nemesis]

The group includes Vincent, currently a free agent, along with safety Donovin Darius of Jacksonville; fullback Tony Richardson of Minnesota; center Jeff Saturday of Indianapolis; linebacker Takeo Spikes of Philadelphia and wide receiver James Thrash of Washington.

1-Who picked these players and what qualities do they posess to be on this committee?Minimum # of Yrs of svc?No conduct issues?2-What happens if one of THEM gets in trouble?3-So, is Jeff Saturday the "token white guy"?I wonder if this will ever be an issue behind closed doors.4-Do the players get paid extra for this?5-How often will they meet and how will they accomplish this In-season when a decision needs to be made?One thing to note is that there are 3 OFF players and 3 DEF players.Finally, I'd like to see Jason Taylor on this committee......I've always liked the way that he plays and his respect for the league and his courage to speak publicly about it.

 

[RC94]

"else?" I didn't think it possible to have a lamer or lesser backboned commissioner than Tagliaboob, but hhe might just make it. lol @ a "player advisory council." If he can't figure out how to treat thugs (how exactly is that rocket science in the first place?), he's either dumber than Forrest Gump or proving to be a major kiss-#### IMO. Maybe he and Upshaw have a closet thing going.

Having a player advisory council means that player discipline meted out by the league will have a better chance of sticking in the face of objections from the players union. It seems like a solid idea.

 

[Bri]

I can see the first pick in the 2018 draft pull an Eli-Elway and refuse to sign with the Mexico City Bulls. WTF would want to play or live in that city? I would give the guy a pass for refusing to go there unlike the dooshbags mentioned earlier who dissed Baltimore and SD.

When they put a franchise in Mexico is when I give the player a pass for refusing to play for who drafts him.

(I don't know) Wouldn't they live like kings there though making millions in american dollars?That snip above from Wiki is a snip. Germany is a VERY strong candidate and not such a far fetched idea. NFL Europa(yes that it's name now) has almost all it's teams in Germany and the NFL fan support there has been established for a long long time. Canada and Mexico seem easier for obvious reasons but the NFL is in Germany in every way you can imagine. (Satellite and regular)TV contracts, radio contracts, advertisers, jersey/apparel sellers, stadiums+ticketting agencies with contracts, a team(while NFLE that is some experience), fan support for both NFLE AND NFL....they love american football. That's one great start right there. I won't be surprised if Canada lands a franchise(esp the Bills) but people shouldn't discount Germany too much.Also air plane trip time isn't so bad when you compare it to NY or Miami to Seattle or San Fran.

 

[Gottabesweet]

Well that sucks. I dont want the NFL being anywhere but the US.

 

[Bri]

The group includes Vincent, currently a free agent, along with safety Donovin Darius of Jacksonville; fullback Tony Richardson of Minnesota; center Jeff Saturday of Indianapolis; linebacker Takeo Spikes of Philadelphia and wide receiver James Thrash of Washington.

1-Who picked these players and what qualities do they posess to be on this committee?Minimum # of Yrs of svc?No conduct issues?2-What happens if one of THEM gets in trouble?3-So, is Jeff Saturday the "token white guy"?I wonder if this will ever be an issue behind closed doors.4-Do the players get paid extra for this?5-How often will they meet and how will they accomplish this In-season when a decision needs to be made?One thing to note is that there are 3 OFF players and 3 DEF players.Finally, I'd like to see Jason Taylor on this committee......I've always liked the way that he plays and his respect for the league and his courage to speak publicly about it.

I think Goodell wants a sounding board before he creates rules with Upshaw(who is in a rrrrrrreal sticky spot where he almost has to accept a rule) and a little taste of reality of sorts.I did not take it to be that Goodell will defer to them at all.One issue for the owners, NFL, and NFLPA is what's a serious offense and what's minor offense. Then it just goes on and on. IIRC Alot of Henry's misbehavior has been somewhat minor but there sure have been alot of them. I imagine Goodell+Upshaw want Henry to not be disciplinned so harshly for a minor infraction but if there's enough occurences then things get harsh.Someone's late once no big deal, late 30 times....something's gotta happen. Realize that the fine dollar values are not so strong when compared to their salaries and you start to figure out why some pamperred players blow things off.There's a whole mess here and I think Goodell wants a sounding board. According to other articles, he had a new player conduct policy so since that wasn't released I'm guessing the sound board and now he amends it some.

 

[Bri]

Somebody please advise me what else Roger Goodell has done in his first year as commissioner. I'll sit and wait for my answer.

Do you paste this in every NFL commissioner thread or type it new each time?He has an extremely difficult job right now. Tags has the league doing real well and began to stir up the thoughts of international expansion. An unfortunate fairly large number of influential owners(forefathers?) have passed away. TV contracts and networks may very well likely be a whole new thing in a few years if NFLN gets more of a share of the market. Yahoo offerred NFL games like DirecTV to foreigners. Brand new contract with some company to do the NFL website and all.It would be an accomplishment for Goodell to just keep it going real well and everything else is gravy IMO.

 

[QUEZILLA]

D. Brooks should have been on it.

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

Well that sucks. I dont want the NFL being anywhere but the US.

I think Toronto is a very likely candidate, and perhaps Mexico City.

 

[gump]

Somebody please advise me what else Roger Goodell has done in his first year as commissioner. I'll sit and wait for my answer.

I know first hand that he has evaluated basically every business partnership the NFL has. I know in particular that one major partnership was re-upped at a much larger guarantee to the NFL than was in place before he came aboard.He may not have changed much, but he wanted to be sure that the right relationships were in place.Sometimes no change is the right move.

 

[radballs]

Somebody please advise me what else Roger Goodell has done in his first year as commissioner. I'll sit and wait for my answer.

Why do you want him to completely turn the best league in pro sports upside down? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The NFL is doing great. I'd rather not have a commissioner who has an ego and feels the need to get stuff done that risks the long term health of the league. Seriously, what issues were you expecting him to address so early into his tenure? What, in your opinion, is wrong with the league?

 

[renesauz]

Interesting how three of them either played for or are about to play for the Eagles

 

[redman]

Interesting how three of them either played for or are about to play for the Eagles

I guarantee you that the only reason James Thrash is on that panel is because Vincent played with him last year on the 'Skins, and they'd been Eagles teammates previously. I'd suspect that Vincent, as the main player rep, had a lot of say in who was named to that committee. That thought occurred to me immediately.