Pubdate: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2014 The Boston Herald, Inc Contact: http://news.bostonherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53 Note: Prints only very short LTEs. GOODELL UP IN SMOKE ON POT NEW YORK - Cinematics, drugs and a gambler's roll. Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed some of the league's most controversial topics yesterday during his annual State of the NFL address. Goodell, who appeared at the Rose Theater in Manhattan, discussed the recent hot item about potentially relaxing marijuana restrictions if they can help players cope with injuries, specifically of the head variety. To take it a step further, Goodell was asked if the league would simply lift the marijuana ban altogether now that some states are doing the same. "This has been something that has been asked several times and I'll try to be as clear as I possibly can," Goodell began. "It is still an illegal substance on a national basis. It's something that is part of our collective-bargaining agreement with our players. It is questionable with respect to the positive impact, but there is certainly some very strong evidence to the negative impacts, including addiction and other issues. So, we'll continue to follow the medicine. Our experts right now are not indicating that we should change our policy in any way. We are not actively considering that at this point in time. But down the road sometime, that is something we would never take off the table if it could benefit our players at the end of the day." Goodell wasn't nearly as receptive to the question to justify the league's opposition to legalized sports gambling. He saw no reason for that stance to end anytime soon, even with the explosion in popularity with fantasy football. "We've fought legalized gambling, sports gambling, for a long time, most recently here, in New Jersey," Goodell said. "And I would see our position in the same vein going forward. We don't put fantasy football into that category at all. I like to say my favorite story about fantasy football is a father who had sort of disconnected with his young teenage daughter, and fantasy football brought them back together again, and now he's playing in a father-daughter league with other fathers and daughters. Fantasy has a way of getting people to engage more with football, and they do it in a fun, friendly, and in this case, a family manner, and I think that's great for families, I think it's great for friends, and I think it's great for football." And as the league winds down one of its most controversially officiated seasons, Goodell sounded open to the idea of centralizing the replay system to one office in the way the NHL conducts its operation in Toronto. "The most important thing for us, we think there's plenty of room for us to improve the game of football and officiating, in particular," Goodell said. "What we all want is consistency, fairness in our officiating, and we believe that we might be able to achieve more consistency when we bring instant replay with us - more of a centralized version and decision-making process - and that's something the Competition Committee is going to consider over the next two months and come back to a recommendation for the membership." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom