Goodell defends power, citing integrity of game

11:23 AM ET

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated Friday morning on ESPN Radio that he is still willing to consider changes to some areas of the discipline policy but nothing that involves what he classifies under integrity of the game.

“I am not going to hand off the integrity of the NFL to somebody who does not understand our business,” Goodell said on ESPN’s Mike & Mike. “That is what we’re going to maintain when it comes to the integrity of the game. Maybe something as it relates to the drug program and whether proper protocol is followed? I get it. Go ahead. Somebody else can make that decision. But when it comes to integrity of the game, that is the commissioner’s responsibilities and has been since the day the NFL was formed.”

Earlier in the interview, Goodell said NFL players lost out on a more equitable disciplinary process by rejecting a recent NFL proposal.

The NFL Players Association instead pursued arbitration to address concerns that the league’s personal conduct policy violated the terms of its Collective Bargaining Agreement. Arbitrator Jonathan B. Marks rejected the NFLPA’s claims earlier this month, producing no change in the policy.

“We had significant discussions over the last six months,” Goodell said. “In fact, I think there was some real …

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