NFL owners meeting: Leadership big on Boy Scouts

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NFL owners meeting: Leadership big on Boy Scouts

 

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_5541252

 

Goodell eager to lift league image

 

By Mike Klis , Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 03/28/2007 10:57:22 PM MDT

 

Phoenix - After the NFL owners meetings concluded, commissioner Roger Goodell joined Broncos owner Pat Bowlen on a flight to Denver, where they will speak at a Boy Scouts-sponsored breakfast this morning.

 

The NFL sharing the same dais with the Boy Scouts of America? Let there be no doubt, Goodell will stop at nothing to enhance the NFL's image.

 

"I'm looking forward to it," said Goodell, who will be introduced by Bowlen as the keynote speaker at the 31st annual Sports Breakfast that will be held at Invesco Field at Mile High. "The values of the Boy Scouts are something we respect, and we use to some extent in the NFL."

 

For the record, Goodell was never a Boy Scout. Nor, as police records show, were some of the people he governs. There were at least 35 NFL players arrested in 2006. Nine Cincinnati Bengals were arrested in the past 13 months. Tennessee cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones has had 10 run-ins with police officers since joining the NFL nearly two years ago.

 

Despite all the recent attention paid to the NFL's bad-boy image and Goodell's revised off-field conduct policy, the NFL has been tagged with 13 more charges or arrests in March alone, including Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Arizona assistant coach Richie Anderson.

 

Even if it's true an NFL team can't have a bunch of Boy Scouts and expect to win, the ballooned police blotter is getting a tad embarrassing. While much economic business was conducted here during the four-day owners meetings, Goodell spent almost all his time with the media dealing with questions about the league's new conduct policy, which he expects to finalize in the next month.

 

After speaking to the Boy Scouts today, Goodell will be meeting with Jones and Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry on Tuesday with expectations of meting out discipline by April 6. The commissioner also plans to meet with troubled Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson.

 

Goodell is certain to be judged on how he deals with those multiple offenders.

 

"We're trying to send a message," Goodell said. "We're not trying to make an example of anybody or any one single incident. But we want to send the message we're not going to tolerate it anymore."

 

Showmanship issue

 

There's only so much the NFL can do about how its players behave off the field. But on it, the league continues to tighten the leash on showmanship.

 

Know how some players make a big gain, or get a crucial first down, and celebrate by spiking the ball in the field of play? From now on, that will draw a 5-yard delay of game penalty.

 

Spiking on touchdowns is fine. Spinning the ball to celebrate a first down is acceptable. But a spike not only causes an official to waste time retrieving the ball, it's viewed as excessive for a play that doesn't result in a score.

 

Shot down by the 32 NFL teams, however, was a proposal to move the overtime kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35. The idea was that by reducing the chances of a long return, the kicking team would have a better chance of at least getting one offensive series before the overtime outcome was decided.

 

In recent years, a growing percentage of overtime games have been won by the receiving team. Too many NFL executives, though, felt moving the kickoff line was a tad gimmicky.

 

Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com