Roger Goodell | GlobalPost

UPDATE 1-NFL-League and union still at odds over player safety

Thomson ReutersFebruary 1, 2013 20:16

* Doping tests, hard tackles sticking points * Goodell expects HGH testing next season * He wants players banned for repeat hits to head (Recasts, adds quotes) By Julian Linden NEW ORLEANS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - More than a year after the National Football League (NFL) and the players' union (NFLPA) reached an agreement to end their bitter labor dispute, deep divisions remain.

NFL-Goodell says he couldn't feel "more welcomed" in New Orleans

Thomson ReutersFebruary 1, 2013 17:46

By Julian Linden NEW ORLEANS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's picture is plastered on the walls of restaurants throughout New Orleans and he has a float dedicated to him in the Mardi Gras parade. But the National Football League boss is not winning any popularity contests in the Big Easy in the build-up to Sunday's Super Bowl.

NFL-Goodell glad for global growth but cagey on next steps

Thomson ReutersFebruary 1, 2013 17:31

By Simon Evans NEW ORLEANS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Sell-outs of the two NFL contests in London next season are proof of the game's growing global popularity, Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Friday but he carefully avoided talk of a British franchise for the league. The National Football League games at Wembley Stadium will match the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Minnesota Vikings on September 29 and the San Francisco 49ers against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 27.

NFL-Goodell vows to tackle player safety, doping issues

Thomson ReutersFebruary 1, 2013 16:31

By Julian Linden NEW ORLEANS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The National Football League (NFL) is determined to push ahead with a range of stricter rules for dangerous play and doping to improve player safety, Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Friday. Despite facing ongoing criticism from players and their union, Goodell used his annual address on the state of the game to reinforce the league's commitment to making changes.

NFL-Payton reinstated after serving one season suspension

Thomson ReutersJanuary 22, 2013 12:30

Jan 22 (Reuters) - New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who was suspended for a season for his part in a pay-for-pain bounty scandal, has been reinstated, the National Football League said on Tuesday. "We had a very productive discussion," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Sean fully complied with all the requirements imposed on him during his suspension.

Judge throws out defamation case against NFL commissioner

Thomson ReutersJanuary 17, 2013 21:15

By Jonathan Stempel Jan 17 (Reuters) - A federal judge dismissed a defamation suit on Thursday by New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma against National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, one of the last open issues arising from the team's so-called bounty scandal. U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan in New Orleans said Vilma failed to show that Goodell acted with "actual malice" in making six purportedly libelous or slanderous statements between early March and early May of last year.