Fujita final player suspended for Saints' bounties to meet with Goodell

NEW YORK -- Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for about one hour Friday about his suspension in the New Orleans Saints' bounty case that was temporarily lifted earlier this month.

Fujita was suspended for three games for his role in the bounty program while he played for New Orleans. He missed a meeting last week with Goodell while recuperating from a knee injury, and was not granted a video conference meeting with the commissioner.

Previously, Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith, still with the Saints, and Anthony Hargrove, now a free agent, met with Goodell after an appeals panel ruled Goodell must redefine the parameters of the suspensions, showing they were for an intent-to-injure program.

Vilma was suspended for the entire season, Smith for four games, Hargrove for eight.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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NFL a mess after shame in Seattle; thanks Goodell -- you, too, regular refs

When they come back, and they'll be back within days -- right? -- don't cheer the NFL's regular officials. Don't clap your hands. Don't even smile at them. They don't deserve it, because they're the problem here. Them, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Both sides. Awful.

We didn't need what happened Monday night in Seattle to know this has to stop, though apparently we needed what happened in Seattle to send us past the breaking point. After the most implausible ending imaginable -- actually, it wasn't even imaginable; as Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, "I've never seen anything like that in all my years in football" -- NFL players and fans erupted Monday night in a sea of shock and anger that sounded a lot like this:

Bring back the real refs, and do it now.

It will happen -- in time for this weekend's games, right? -- but don't let your relief look anything like appreciation, because neither the NFL Referees Association nor the NFL commissioner will deserve gratitude when this stupid labor impasse ends.

The NFL is so wealthy it can afford to pay the officials gobs more than it does. Last season the average salary for a game official was nearly $150,000, and the NFL could afford to double it. And then the NFL could afford to double that. The NFL is printing money as fast as it prints tickets and TV listings and souvenir cups and licensed apparel and parking tags and ... you get the point. The NFL is loaded.

And the regular refs know it, which is why they were seeking big-time money for part-time work. And then when the labor impasse reached the blinking point and neither side blinked, the NFL locked out the officials -- and the NFLRA responded by trying to take down the whole damn league.

NFL refs oversee the officiating of several of college football's BCS conferences -- and made it clear to officials in those leagues that working as replacement refs would jeopardize their careers. Officials from other major-college conferences joined suit in a show of solidarity, forcing the NFL into a choice between two extremes: (A) Give the NFLRA what it wants; or (B) cancel games.

The NFL went with (C):

Hire officials from Division II and III, high schools, even the Lingerie Football League.

Hilarity ensued, although it's not really funny. People have had a big ol' laugh at the expense of the replacement referees, though this isn't their fault. In theory, yes, these specific replacements allowed the labor impasse to continue by agreeing to work, saving the NFL schedule.

But that's only a theory. In reality, had these specific replacements refused the work, other potential officials would have been offered the job. Were they all going to turn down the chance to make lots of money to stand on an NFL field and officiate a game? No. Of course not. That's not realistic, so don't be ridiculous and blame replacement refs for this mess. They were never the problem. They tried to be the solution, and it hasn't worked out.

Which brings us to today, or rather, to Monday night -- when Packers safety M.D. Jennings intercepted Seattle's last-second pass in the end zone, only to see a replacement ref rule it a touchdown after Seahawks receiver Golden Tate got his hands on the ball and kept them there as he and Jennings lay in the end zone. Well, one replacement ruled it a touchdown. Another signaled for a touchback, which would mean Jennings had intercepted it and was down in the end zone.

To replay we went, and the touchdown was upheld, but that didn't provide clarity. Was possession of the ball on a simultaneous catch even reviewable? In the immediate aftermath of the play, some said yes; others, no. The NFL released a statement Tuesday that said, yes, possession of the catch was reviewable because it happened in the end zone -- but somehow concluded, "The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video ... and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review."

Not reviewable was the blatant offensive pass interference committed by Tate, a push-off of Packers cornerback Sam Shields that the refs missed.

"This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game," according to the NFL's statement. "It was not called and is not reviewable in instant replay."

Ah.

That statement explained what happened and why, but it didn't tell us what we wanted to hear. At this point, NFL fans and NFL players -- hell, even NBA players -- want to hear just one thing:

The lockout is over -- the regular refs are back to work.

And maybe we'll hear that soon. Within days, right? Whenever the regular refs return, officiating mistakes will continue to happen, mystifying mistakes that change games and affect careers. For a week or so we might even tolerate the mistakes -- because at least the right officials will be making the wrong calls.

But soon enough we'll be booing the real refs, and it will sound beautiful. Hell, I'm booing the real refs right now. Booooo for you guys, and boooooo for Roger Goodell as well. The NFL is in chaos -- and this is your fault.

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Goodell to meet with Vilma, other players previously suspended in bounty scandal

Jonathan Vilma was on the sideline during the Saints' season-opening loss to the Redskins. (AP)

NEW ORLEANS -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and four players whose suspensions in connection with the bounty investigation were recently lifted by an appeals panel have agreed to new meetings on the matter.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday no specific dates have been set for the meetings. An attorney for Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said his client hoped to meet with the commissioner by early next week.

The NFL Players Association, which is representing Saints defensive end Will Smith, Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita and free-agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, did not immediately comment.

Goodell is reconsidering whether to hand down revised suspensions for the four players who had been punished in an alleged pay-for-pain pool offering cash bonuses for hits that injured opponents.

Ginsberg said Vilma's meeting would not be considered a hearing, but would be more akin to preliminary fact-finding meetings that occur at the outset of the disciplinary process outlined by the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.

"We expect to meet with commissioner Goodell and hopefully have a full, honest exchange of information and come to a just resolution," Ginsberg said.

He was not sure whether Vilma would meet with Goodell individually or at the same time as the other three players represented by the NFLPA.

The three-member panel that lifted the four players' suspensions on Friday did not permanently void them or address the merits of the bounty probe. Rather, it asked Goodell to start the disciplinary process over after ruling it was unclear whether he followed proper procedures in disciplining the players the first time.

It found that it was not clear whether part of Goodell's punishment stemmed from the money the players were found to have received. The panel said punishment relating to financial violations of the league collective bargaining agreement must be heard by an arbitrator other than Goodell.

The panel also said Goodell can only serve as the arbitrator for punishments relating directly to some intent to injure opponents, which would be classified as conduct detrimental to the game.

Vilma and several current and former Saints teammates, as well as suspended assistant head coach Joe Vitt, have already testified in a related federal case that the Saints operated only a performance pool for big plays and that no one ever intended to injure an opposing player.

Their testimony conflicted with the NFL's earlier findings that specific bounties were place on high profile quarterbacks including Brett Favre and Kurt Warner in the 2009-10 playoffs.

Smith was able to return to action for the Saints' regular-season opener on Sunday, a 40-32 loss to the Washington Redskins. He was the only of the four reinstated players who took the field. Fujita sat out after not practicing the week leading up to Cleveland's opening 17-16 loss to Philadelphia. Hargrove is not with a team and Vilma is still working his way back from offseason left knee surgery.

The Saints have placed Vlima on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he cannot play at least through the first six games, even if he receives no new suspension.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Roger Goodell doesn't think bounties will 'be an issue going forward'

Posted: 08:30 PM ET May 31, 2012

By Ryan Wilson | NFL Blogger

While Goodell thinks bounties are a thing of the past, Vilma has sued the commissioner for defamation. (AP/Getty Images)
Here's to hoping this isn't Roger Goodell's "Mission Accomplished" moment. The NFL Commissioner made an example of the Saints for the organization's involvement in the bounty scandal. From the front office to the locker room, no one was spared.

During a Thursday news conference, Goodell said that he is confident bounties will no longer be an issue, presumably because of the swift, severe sanctions levied against the Saints.

The actions taken by the league "speak very loudly," he said via the Associated Press. "I heard that from our clubs, from our personnel. They recognize it's not part of the game. It doesn't need to be part of the game. And I don't think it's going to be an issue going forward."

That's a nice sentiment, but hunches, in general, aren't reliable predictors of future events. We've criticized Goodell in the past because of the random nature with which he hands down punishments.

For a quick refresher, here's what we wrote on the subject last September, shortly after the commissioner suspended Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryorfive games for transgressions that took place before Pryor was even in the NFL.

Goodell has shown in the past that he's willing to make unpopular decisions. Steelers backup quarterback and longtime Pryor mentor, Charlie Batch, recently told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Goodell has too much power.

"He took it to another level when he said he was going to suspend Terrelle Pryor for five games and he wasn't even in the NFL last year," he said. "How can you do that? It's not right. It's not right at all."

Players have also taken issue with Goodell arbitrarily meting out punishments, perhaps none more vocal in recent years than Batch's teammate, linebacker James Harrison. (More proof that there appears to be no method to Goodell's perceived madness: he didn't suspend Kenny Britt or Aqib Talib for serious and persistent offseason incidents.)

Looking ahead, it's worth pointing out that while the Saints general manager and several members of the coaching staff have had their appeals denied and will serve suspensions ranging from indefinitely (Gregg Williams) to six games (Joe Vitt), the four players facing suspension -- Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita -- could still have them reduced. On Wednesday, special master Stephen Burbank heard a grievance filed by the NFLPA on behalf of the four players claiming that Goodell didn't have the authority to issue punishments.

Additionally, a similar grievance was heard by an arbitrator two weeks ago, and Vilma, suspended for the 2012 season by Goodell, has sued the commissioner for defamation. Which brings us to this tweet from Vilma on Thursday night:

Roger goodell has asked for a delay to respond to my defamation suit. He was granted until july 5th to respond. Interesting.

— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 31, 2012

ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas recaps the particulars nicely: "Although the grievances and the lawsuit are separate matters, they have a common thread. The players are attempting to get the authority out of Goodell's hands and, in the case of Vilma's lawsuit, trying to force the league to show evidence of the bounty program."

We're not sure how Goodell's proclamation about bounties being a thing of the past holds up should an arbitrator ultimately rule in favor of the Saints players.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.

Tags: Anthony Hargrove, Aqib Talib, Charlie Batch, James Harrison, Jonathan Vilma, Kenny Britt, Scott Fujita, Terrelle Pryor, Will Smith, Ryan Wilson, New Orleans Saints, NFL

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Roger Goodell says Saints bounty scandal proof will be made public

Posted: 06:52 PM ET May 22, 2012

By Ryan Wilson | NFL Blogger

Goodell says he is unconcerned about his popularity. (AP)

Earlier this month, New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the 2012 season for his role in the Saints bounty scandal. Last week, Vilma's attorney filed a defamation lawsuit against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The complaint read, in part, that "Vilma seeks to recover damages for defamatory statements made by Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League. … Goodell, speaking publicly about certain Saints executives, coaches and players, in relation to purported efforts designed to injure opposing players, made public statements concerning Vilma which were false, defamatory and injurious to Vilma's professional and personal reputation."

At issue: the league hasn't released evidence showing that Saints players, coaches and front-office members were involved in the pay-for-performance allegations leveled against them in early March.

As I've said before..I NEVER PAID, NOR INTENDED TO PAY ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY,TO ANY PLAYER FOR INTENTIONALLY HURTING AN OPPONENT.

— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 17, 2012

On Tuesday at the league's spring meeting, Goodell said that the NFL plans to release to the public proof of wrongdoing by those already punished for their roles in the bounty scandal.

While the commissioner declined comment on Vilma's defamation lawsuit, he offered a "Yes, I do," in response to a question about whether he expected the evidence to be made public. Details via NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal:

Goodell pointed out that the league released facts in March and is going through the appeals process with the NFL Players Association. He indicated that the league won't release any more information publicly until the appeals and grievance processes are finished.

Goodell added that the NFLPA "expressly told the players not to cooperate in the bounty investigation. I invited them in and they decided not to do that," he said.

As the appeals and grievance process plays out, Goodell remains the target of criticism for players.

"You don't worry about a popularity contest," he said. "You can't. You can't make everyone happy on this."

Lessening the pain for the commissioner? Pulling down $20 million a year. And if all that money doesn't fill the void, there's always the draft (cue "Dust in the Wind").

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07. Tags: Jonathan Vilma, Ryan Wilson, New Orleans Saints, NFL

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Jonathan Vilma files defamation lawsuit vs. Roger Goodell in New Orleans federal court

Posted: 03:26 PM ET May 17, 2012

By Will Brinson | Senior NFL Blogger

Jonathan Vilma vs. Roger Goodell is a thing now. (US Presswire)
The Saints bounty scandal -- and the resulting punishments -- took a personal turn on Thursday when Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, suspended for the entire 2012 season by the NFL, filed a lawsuit against Roger Goodell, suing the NFL Commissioner for defamation.

CBSSports.com has obtained a copy of the lawsuit and, yes, it is simply "Jonathan Vilma v. Roger Goodell." Vilma alleges that Goodell in "speaking publicly" about the linebacker "made public statements concerning Vilma which were false, defamator and injurious" to Vilma's reputation.

"By this action, Vilma seeks to recover damages for defamatory statements made by Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League ('NFL')," the complaint reads. "Vilma is a professional football player for the New Orleans Saints ('Saints'), a Member Club of the NFL. Goodell, speaking publicly about certain Saints executives, coaches and players, in relation to purported efforts designed to injure opposing players, made public statements concerning Vilma which were false, defamatory and injurious to Vilma's professional and personal reputation."

As I've said before..I NEVER PAID, NOR INTENDED TO PAY ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY,TO ANY PLAYER FOR INTENTIONALLY HURTING AN OPPONENT.

— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 17, 2012

maybe this will get some people attention

— Jonathan Vilma (@JonVilma51) May 17, 2012

Tags: Jonathan Vilma, Bounties, Bountygate, New Orleans Saints, NFL

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Vilma's lawsuit against Goodell underscores Saints' arrogance

Until his suspension, Jonathan Vilma was by all accounts the Saints' defensive leader. (Getty Images)

No one knows where this latest crazy episode in a series of crazy episodes wrapped by insanity and flanked by conspiracy theories, arrogance and paranoia will go. It seems like this Saints bounty story continues to rapidly spiral downward.

Further and further into the Saints bounty muck we go. Doesn't seem to be brakes on this ride. That scene in the movie Dr. Strangelove where Slim Pickens is riding a nuclear missile like a cowboy on a wild horse as the nuke flies to the ground? That's the NFL, that's us, as this story plummets further into the abyss.

Some of the players punished by Roger Goodell are good people who made mistakes. I know Scott Fujita is an honorable man. This is a fact. I'm sure other figures in the Saints bounty case are the same.

The problem for the Saints continues to be their arrogance. That's been the issue for the Saints in the Sean Payton era and that arrogance is again showing its multi-faceted head with Jonathan Vilma's lawsuit against Roger Goodell for defamation of character.

I'm still wondering if this is some type of joke or if Keanu Reeves will interrupt my conscience thought and tell me the Matrix is far older than you know. Defamation? Really?

Throw in the fact that the lawyer for Vilma, Peter Ginsburg, has had some interesting allegations made against him, and you have the makings of a circus that might never end.

Vilma's lawsuit is about arrogance but it's also about a refusal to take responsibility for one's actions.

The Saints are presenting themselves as freedom fighters taking up arms against the dictator Goodell who refuses to provide proof of their crimes. The only thing missing is a soundtrack and Saints players storming the NFL offices while flying on a dragon. It's a smart tactic and plays well with the base. Saints fans, fearing their Super Bowl will be tainted by history, are clinging to anything that appears exonerating and Vilma's lawsuit is one of those pieces of straws in a superficially well-built straw man.

Saints players keep saying "show me the proof" the way Cruise said "show me the money" hoping that as long as the NFL keeps failing to produce its hundreds of thousands of pages of documents, people will claim cover-up. Again, it plays well with a Saints base that believes this entire thing is one cooked up conspiracy, but ignores the simple question of why would the NFL risk its entire reputation on a lack of proof.

Pretty soon, I expect Saints fans to ask Goodell for his birth certificate.

The Saints know the NFL could never produce everything because it would identify who ratted out the players.

The true hope of Vilma is to get Goodell deposed and tell Vilma who sold the Saints out. That likely will never happen.

There should be a point where Vilma looks inward and at least speaks truthfully to himself. We all make mistakes and have had those moments of realization where we admit no one is to blame for a screw-up but ourselves. Vilma apparently hasn't reached that moment.

Keep crying you're a victim. Keep whining about persecution. Keep calling for proof when you know the NFL can't release it. That's the strategy. It will work inside the state of Louisiana.

A less arrogant person would take his medicine like an adult but Vilma won't. He's going to keep pushing that strategy because Vilma knows he can play the base for suckers.

So this charade will continue and the arrogant players like Vilma will keep pushing this straw-man storyline now hoping he can rope a judge. "Vilma, as a captain of the Saints defense, was instrumental in leading the Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl championship in the 2009 season," the lawsuit states, "and is highly regarded as a player and individual throughout the United States and in the State of Louisiana as well as in the professional football community."

That was true.

Then came Bountygate.

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Chad Ochocinco to Roger Goodell: 'If anyone can lead us out of this mess, it will be you'

Posted: 06:39 PM ET May 12, 2012

By Josh Katzowitz | NFL Blogger

Ochocinco and Roger Goodell apparently are good buddies. (US Presswire)
On Twitter or during Super Bowl press conferences, Patriots receiver Chad Ochocinco likes to say hello to commissioner Roger Goodell. It goes back to the days when Ochocinco -- when he, you know, caught touchdown passes and then celebrated them wildly -- asked the NFL not to fine him again (Goodell did anyway). And it continues into today when Ochocinco will tweet at the commissioner, calling him “Dad,” and ask either for permission or for forgiveness.

Ochocinco claims that he loves Goodell, and in a letter to him posted on his OCNN website, he wanted to let Goodell know what was on his mind and to show his support.

The letter:

Dear Dad,

I know it has been a rough week, so I wanted to reach out. Players dying, players suing and on top of that my peers are just going off on you in the media. It does not help that ESPN has all of a sudden become Medical TV with damn near every brain expert on the planet. This has got to be the worst week ever. Since no one is showing any support, I figured I would be the first. You are in one big ass catch 22 and quite frankly, I am not sure there is any solution. One thing I think can help is killing the NFL PR machine.

Y'all do a darn near perfect job at portraying this game as one played by heroes.

But let's be real dad. This is a nasty, dirty and violent game with consequences. Sign up or go get a regular job. Watch it or turn off the TV and go fishing with your kids. It is really that simple. I know there are probably legal and financial implications that prevent this blunt depiction, but am not sure if you have a choice. If you don't say it now, the mounting evidence being revealed publicly will say it for you very soon. In all, I love you and if anyone can lead us out of this mess, it will be you. Oh by the way, I have a deal for you. Am having a rebound year and plan to do a lot of celebrating in the end zone. Can my fine money go to supporting ex-players suffering?

Sincerely,
Chad

It's tough to know how to take this letter. Is Ochocinco being funny or sincere? A jerk or strangely charming? Does he really care or is he trying to make us laugh? Not sure. But it certainly is Ochocinco-esque. And it's entertaining. And after a season of not doing that in New England last season, it's nice to see a glimpse of his old personality return.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Josh Katzowitz on Twitter here: @joshkatzowitz.

Tags: Chad Ochocinco, New England Patriots, NFL

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Redskins, Cowboys latest to feel wrath of iron-fisted Goodell

Roger Goodell is proving to be tough on rule-breakers, period. (Getty Images)

This has always been the perception players have had of Roger Goodell: He's brutally tough on them and soft on coaches and team executives. Players have long thought that coaches and general managers were Goodell's type of people and the players were not.

Wait. Let's be totally blunt here. Many black players have long believed Goodell was tougher on them than coaches and executives. This is the truth. It has been repeated over and over privately by players.

This has never been true, but perception kills. But what Goodell has done over the past few months and years should eradicate that belief forever. There are no favorites. Never have been, never will be. The Goodell Doctrine is in full effect as he continues to attack rule-breakers in such an aggressive and thorough manner, it may be unmatched in the recent history of professional sports.

And notice, no cheater has gone unscathed. He has gone after on-field cheap-shot artists with unprecedented vigor. He has punished players with an almost legendary steel fist. And Goodell isn't going solely after the men who actually play the game. He punished Rex Ryan for floating a middle finger to one obnoxious fan and then later fined Ryan for a foul-mouthed exchange with another. He's pursuing Super Bowl winning coaches (Sean Payton and Bountygate), league executives (Mickey Loomis from the Saints), and now two of the more storied franchises in football as Washington and Dallas will have millions of dollars in salary cap room yanked for trying to cheat the cap system.

A league official confirms a story first reported by ESPN that the NFL will dock Washington and Dallas millions in cap space, temporarily crippling both. But there's more to this story. I'm told the NFL warned both teams multiple times and the franchises went ahead and did the contracts anyway.

Officials from both teams told me privately there was no intention to cheat and that this was all a misunderstanding. Sure. OK. Right.

This is a continuation of the Goodell Doctrine that actually started with the New England Patriots and Spygate. There is no toleration of rule-breakers whether they be a high-profile player, a great coach like Bill Belichick, a GM or even Danny Snyder and Jerry Jones.

Or Mike Shanahan, multiple Super Bowl winner, who is Washington's executive vice president of football operations. Just to be clear: We don't know if Shanahan was involved in this situation with Washington. He may be totally innocent, but let's just say it did not go unnoticed by the league office that when Shanahan was coach in Denver, the Broncos in 2001 were fined $968,000 and lost a third-round pick in the 2002 draft for cap violations. They were accused of making deferred payments amounting to $29 million to quarterback John Elway and running back Terrell Davis. Just a few years later, the NFL fined the Broncos $950,000 and a third-round pick for similar violations.

Goodell doesn't fool around, and again, good for him. There is no more looking the other way. No more trying to pull a fast one past the league office. It's over. Done. This isn't the 1980s NFL. Not anymore.

In many ways, this is the golden era of the sport. The NFL has never been watched by more people or carried more influence. Truly, the only real threat to its longevity is the sport itself.

If the NFL can keep the degenerates and creeps from running things, from gaining a beachhead, then the NFL can move forward with cleaner hands. There is a fine line between legitimacy and pro wrestling, and Goodell is making sure the NFL doesn't cross it.

I remember a player asking me once: Who in the hell does Roger Goodell think he is? God?

No, he thinks he's the commissioner, and what happened to the Redskins and Cowboys is yet another example of the Goodell Doctrine…

If you cheat, watch your back.

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Goodell: Both sides now committed to reaching deal

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will spend the weekend preparing for the next set of negotiations, energized by this week's secret talks that he believes show both sides are committed to ending the labor dispute.

While the owners and players spent Friday in a St. Louis courtroom arguing over the legality of the lockout, Goodell visited with troops at a U.S. Army base in North Carolina with Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera.

At the end of a long day at Fort Bragg that included trying on - but not using -- a parachute, Goodell took questions from soldiers before telling reporters there's some reason for optimism following the talks in Chicago.

"The importance is to have the principles talk," Goodell said. "That's what we were interested in doing, have the owners and players talk to one another. That was accomplished this week. ... That's a positive sign for us."

Goodell was far from specific -- he wouldn't say when the next round of talks would be held or if the owners will be preparing another offer -- but acknowledged both sides showed a willingness to work toward a deal.

He wouldn't say how the two sides would compromise on the stumbling blocks in the negotiations, mostly notably how to divvy up $9 billion in annual revenue.

"I would just tell you that both sides are committed to continuing the dialogue," Goodell said. "In negotiations, you're making different suggestions, recommendations and proposals from time to time. I think both sides will do that in a responsible fashion."

Goodell agreed that having the lawyers absent and the players and owners meeting directly -- Rivera acknowledged Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was there -- helped get the talks rolling.

"I still believe principle to principle is the best way to really get the kind of dialogue you need so people understand the different perspectives," Goodell said.

But time is running out. Already free agency has been delayed, minicamps canceled and optional workouts put on hold. Training camps are scheduled to open next month.

Goodell wasn't spared from the fans' frustrations at Fort Bragg. One soldier accused the owners of being the players' "No. 1 distraction" and asked Goodell, "Where's the passion, the love of game?"

"I understand the frustration and criticism because people want football," Goodell said. "You hear that everywhere you go. I heard that all day today. That's what we're in the business of doing. You have to make sure you're taking the right steps, though, to protect the game for a long-term basis."

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Goodell says NFL will contribute toward Vikes stadium

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said after meeting Tuesday with Gov. Mark Dayton and supporters of a Minnesota Vikings stadium that the league will contribute financially to its construction, and that he believes efforts to get the facility built are ensuring the team's future in the state.

"I think the commitment here is to get something done and I think that will ensure the success of the Vikings," said Goodell, after he was asked if he could envision a scenario where the team would leave Minnesota.

The NFL commissioner met early in the morning at the governor's residence with Dayton, legislators sponsoring the stadium bill and state Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel to talk about the team's partnership with Ramsey County to build a $1.1 billion stadium in suburban Arden Hills. With less than a week left in the legislative session, stadium talks are hung up on the cost of fixing roads near the site and who should pay for it.

Sorel said after the meeting his agency will have a more exact figure on road costs by Wednesday. Dayton and the chief legislative sponsors, Sen. Julie Rosen of Fairmont and Rep. Morrie Lanning of Moorhead, once again firmly stated that the state's share will not exceed $300 million -- and that any road-improvement costs will have to come out of that total.

"We still have work to do in terms of pinning down what are the transportation needs over and above what's already planned," Lanning said. "That is the most important issue."

Goodell would not reveal how much the league would kick in, saying he would release more details in the next few days. As part of its deal with Ramsey County, the Vikings pledged to pay $407 million, about 39 percent of the total project cost.

"Those are discussions that are going on in part based on the types of revenue that can be created," said Goodell, who turned up shortly after his meeting with Dayton at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis where the league is in mediation with the players union over the NFL lockout.

A provision in the stadium legislation at the Capitol will prevent stadium construction from getting underway until the league's labor dispute is settled.

Goodell toured the Arden Hills site on Monday, a former Army ammunition plant about 10 miles northeast of the team's current home at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. Goodell called the site "extraordinary" and "very exciting" and reaffirmed that the team's leadership feels strongly about building there.

With questions still hanging about the total cost of the project, and with Dayton and lawmakers still far apart on how to erase the state's $5 billion state budget deficit, the biggest obstacle facing the stadium plan at the Capitol is time. Lawmakers must adjourn their regular session by next Monday at midnight - though the unresolved budget dispute threatens to force a special session that could give lawmakers more time to work on the stadium too.

"Where there's a will there's a way and yes, anything is possible," Dayton said.

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Mason's broadsides on Goodell aren't so off-target

Derrick Mason has embarked on a Crush Roger Goodell Tour. He has been on television more than Trump, and that's saying something.

The only thing missing from Mason's diatribes are a soapbox and a "praise the Lord." Mason is preaching. This is what he sometimes does. He called Goodell a joke. Unfair. He called Goodell distracted on drug testing. Unfair. Goodell can do several things at once. Trust me. I've witnessed. He's a smart fella.

 Derrick Mason says he's had no disagreement on his criticisms. (Getty Images) No, surely, Mason has stated a number of things about Goodell that are untrue. But Mason's overall message is something that needs to be discussed. It's important. Damn important.

First, read this: "I don't think anybody disagreed with me," Mason said. "Anybody that understands what's been going on in the game of football, on the inside, not just on the outside but anyone that's been in it, they understand that. Honestly -- I'm not saying this to disrespect him in any way -- what has he done for the game of football to move it forward? Everything that has been done has been done by Pete Rozelle, [Paul] Tagliabue, people that came before him. But the thing is, he hasn't done anything significant to change the game of football."

People want to portray Mason as a loudmouth chump. A crazy man on a rant, a sufferer of too many concussions. And certainly some of what Mason is saying isn't fair or true.

But that quote ... I can tell you I've heard variations of it repeated in NFL locker rooms for several years now. Not once or twice. Not a few times. Not a handful. A lot. My guess is Mason is speaking for more than a few NFL players.

The overwhelming sentiment of some players has been who in the hell does Roger Goodell think he is?

Mason's quotation is noteworthy because in one sense it explains why the lockout became so bitter. Not since Bobby and Whitney has a relationship devolved in a public light with such rapidity. The feeling of distrust between players and Goodell had been building and the lockout was like a key unlatching all of the malice and ill will, all of it spilling out into public view. Not all players feel this way about Goodell. Not everyone. But plenty.

My view of Goodell is that he's smart, works hard and cares about the image of the league. He's a good person who has opened up the NFL to fans as much as any other commissioner in sports.

Yet Goodell has been gifted Supreme King of All Bad Asses status by the media when in actuality his accomplishments haven't matched what has become a legendary plateau.

Goodell's greatest accomplishment has been working the press. Building relationships with some writers and TV types that Goodell knows won't push him hard on issues. Goodell is a regular on one of the ESPN morning shows because Goodell knows the only tough question he'll get asked is what does he like in his coffee, low fat or whole milk?

Goodell has built quite a media empire by acting like the press' best friend and then using the press to bash in the head of the players. I've heard that one from more than a few players.

Many will cite Goodell's corralling of bad-boy players like Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Vick. Sure, some of that's good. Yet for all of Goodell's bluster on this issue, has he really cured the problem? Or come close? Since the lockout, 10 players have been arrested for various charges.

Goodell has expressed concern about concussions yet wants an 18-game season. He has reined in more brutal hits with heavier fines and the league is breaking profit and popularity numbers, but here we are embroiled in an ugly labor dispute.

All of those things fall under the umbrella of Mason's point, and it's totally fair. And, again, Mason is far from alone in his thinking.

Some of Mason's attacks on Goodell have crossed a line. That is true. His larger question is fair.

What exactly has Goodell done?

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