Goodell Intent On Stemming NFL Player Arrests
CHICAGO (CBS SPORTS) - Last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with union leader DeMaurice Smith. It was, as Goodell put it, a congenial meeting and it was, as Goodell also said, much needed. Goodell's meeting with Smith was kept mostly quiet but it could be one of the most important of both men's tenure. The league has taken a PR beating as a rash of arrests has injured the reputation of the sport. Goodell understands this and while the league has been quiet publicly about the arrests, privately, Goodell has been working with the union on solutions to solve the mess.
In an interview, Goodell outlined some of the things he and the union want to do to combat the problem, focusing on strengthening the current personal conduct policy. "We are going to do some things to combat this problem because some of the numbers on DUIs and domestic violence are going up and that disturbs me," Goodell said. "When there's a pattern of mistakes, something has got to change."
The numbers are indeed somewhat troubling. Player arrests in recent years are rising, going from 42 in 2010, 44 in 2011 and 48 so far this year. In 2010, there were 16 arrests for driving under the influence, eight in 2011 (some league sources believe this lower number is an anomaly because of the lockout) and 19 so far in 2012.
Goodell has spent some of this training camp tour speaking to players and asking for solutions to the problem. Before that was the meeting with the union.
Goodell says he wants to focus on eradicating two main issues: drinking and driving and domestic violence. The main way the league wants to do this, he said, is strengthen already existing policies. The league may also add some new ones, assuming they can work out something with the union. Both sides have pledged to keep the substance of their talks private.
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