Goodell - 2012 NFL Draft Pop-up store

Commissioner Roger Goodell
2012 NFL Draft Pop-uo Store Media Availability

April 2, 2012

On how suspended Saints personnel’s appeal will differ from recent conversations on the bounty-rule violation:
That is what we will have to wait and hear. They have chosen to appeal. We will listen and see if there is any information that I wasn’t aware of when we met the two previous times. If there is, we will take that into consideration.

On rendering a decision:
I promised them all that it would be an expedited hearing and an expedited decision.

On if it is strange that the appeal is made to the person who made the original decision:
I don’t think so, particularly if they feel there is something they want me to consider that they may not have expressed to me the first time. I look forward to hearing from them. When I do, we will take that into consideration and move forward.

On the New York Jets acquiring QB Tim Tebow:
He is a great young man. It is great. The Jets are excited about it. I think the fans are excited about it. I think it will be a great story for us this year.

On opening the first-ever NFL pop-up store this offseason:
We are transitioning into some new licensees. We have seven new licensees, along with Nike and New Era leading the way. It will be a chance for them to demonstrate their innovation and the way they are changing their products for our fans and for our players. With the draft coming up in a few weeks, we felt this was the right place to be.

On expectations from the NFL’s new apparel licensees:
You are going to see a different quality in the products. They are more performance related, particularly the jerseys, which will be launched tomorrow, and of course, style.

On more merchandise designed for women:
Women fans are huge for us. As a matter of fact, my first purchase today was for all of my women at home. The line, women are going to love it because it is designed for them and it is intended to be performance related for them.

On planning to meet with the NFLPA this week:
We do. As a matter of fact, this afternoon we will be meeting with them.

On if lawyers or another party will represent the NFLPA in today’s meeting:
I don’t know the answer to that question. For the last month, we have made it clear that we would be happy to share the information we have.

On if the NFL is prepared to provide all of its evidence to the NFLPA:
I said from the moment I first called (NFLPA Executive Director) De(Maurice Smith) about this information that we would be happy to share it with them and make sure that he understood what happened.

On the goal to issue player discipline soon:
We all need to move forward. It is important for us. We have been open about what we have been able to find. We have released it publically. We have given the NFLPA two of our confidential reports, which we shared with our clubs. They have gotten the same reports. We will have a meeting today, and hopefully, we will have some information and hopefully a recommendation from the NFLPA.

On anticipating a ruling on the Saints appeal by the end of the week:
Part of it depends on exactly when the appeal is going to be and when it will happen and what information comes up in the appeal.

On if Saints personnel is coming in tomorrow for the appeal:
I don’t know yet. I believe it is later this week.

On if Saints head coach Sean Payton provided all information on the bounty-rule violation during their prior two meetings:
This has been going on for three years. We have been investigating this. We have met with various personnel on the Saints, and for three years, they denied that this was going. It is clear it was going on. That is one of the reasons the punishment was harsh. From our standpoint, we want to hear if there is information that we are not aware of. We will take it into consideration, and we will deal with it from there.

On why the investigation took three years:
They denied it. They denied it repeatedly. Eventually, we were able to get a credible source that came up late last year and gave us information that indicated it clearly was going on.

On if the Saints denied the violation after the NFL learned information from its source:
Yes.

On the possibility criminal charges will be filed:
I don’t know. That is up to the lawyers. We have to focus on our part of the process, which is to evaluate all of the information and make determinations. We have been very open. We have been transparent on what we have found and we will continue to do so.

On Bill Parcells returning to the NFL if the Saints name him their interim head coach and Payton’s involvement in the decision:
At the end of the day, these are management decisions that (Saints owner) Tom Benson will have to sign off on. He will get recommendations from Sean, (Saints general manager) Mickey (Loomis) and others and make his determination. If it ends up being Parcells and they have gone through the full process, it is their decision. They need to make those decisions and we’ll move forward.

On the benefit if Parcells returns to coach in the NFL:
Bill is a great coach. He will add a lot of personality and intrigue. He is as competitive as they get. I’m sure he will do a great job.

On the city of New Orleans’ reaction to the discipline:
We have 32 clubs. We have rules in the league. When rules are violated for three consecutive years and they deny it, there are going to be consequence. That is the way it works. We have fans in 31 other markets that want to make sure the game is played the right way. I know the fans in New Orleans are frustrated by what happened. I understand that but they also want the game to be played the right way. We are going to ensure that. My job is the credibility of the NFL.

On what he purchased from the first-ever NFL pop-up store:
I bought a hat for one of our great fans and then I bought some merchandise for my girls.

On speaking to players about the Saints bounty-rule violation:
We have talked to players in the past who denied it was going on, but I have heard from dozens of players over the past several weeks. They have been very open.

On if criminal charges are warranted for the violation:
Those aren’t my decisions. I can only deal with what the NFL does. We are going to do what is right and we are going to make sure that our rules are enforced properly. When they are violated, we will take the appropriate discipline.

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