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