The NFL's Fall League Meeting took place Wednesday in Florida, where commissioner Roger Goodell answered questions on a number of different topics after the session had concluded.
These topics included the CBA, Antonio Brown, tanking and, of course, the officiating we've witnessed this season.
Here are the notable updates from Goodell:
Antonio Brown
The NFL is still investigating various allegations made against Antonio Brown.
Goodell on Antonio Brown investigation: Still working on it. Lot of material to go through. — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2019
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
The veteran wide receiver tweeted "Free AB" on Tuesday, suggesting he wants to return to football. Brown has not played for any team since the New England Patriots released him on Sept. 20 amid several off-the-field concerns.
17-game schedule
The NFL reportedly abandoned hope for an 18-game schedule, but a 17-game slate remains in play. But even if an extra game was added, the regular season schedule would still start after the Labor Day holiday.
Goodell confirms 17-game regular season is a part of CBA talks. Says they'd still start the week after Labor Day, but play longer into February. — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2019
Officiating
Monday night's game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions was marred by two controversial penalties. Both flags happened in the second half and went against Lions defensive lineman Trey Flowers. The Packers scored a combined 10 points on these two drives, including a game-winning 23-yard field goal as time expired. The backlash on social media to the officiating in this game was quite fierce, with many current and former players weighing in.
I asked Goodell about the Monday night game and level of confidence in Al Riveron to fix whatever problems exist with officiating: "You never want to see a game where people are talking about officials afterward." Says Al et al. are doing all they can to improve. "That's sports." — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2019
CBA talks
The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2020 season. The league and the NFL Players' Association already are negotiating in an effort to avoid any potential work stoppage.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the CBA extension talks have been positive and productive. "We're hopefully that we all see the benefits of doing something earlier and getting something done." — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 16, 2019
Dolphins tanking?
The Dolphins are 0-6 and could become the first team since the 2008 Lions to go an entire season without winning a single game. Miami's best chance might have been Sunday's Week 6 matchup against the Washington Redskins, where the Dolphins went for a 2-point conversion on the final play trailing 17-16. The playcall was a bad one and the Dolphins failed to convert, prompting even more talk about Miami tanking for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Goodell doesn't see any tanking going on, though.
Asked questions from some Miami-based writers about a possible draft lottery if more teams start tanking, Goodell says: "The good news for us is we don't see that." Emphasizes the competitiveness of the game. — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2019
Draft Lottery
One of the ways to combat tanking is to implement a draft lottery system, similar to what the NBA and NHL use. The NFL is not considering that kind of change at this time, however.
Roger Goodell, asked about a draft lottery: "It's been discussed over the years. I think from our standpoint, we find the draft successful" on many fronts. "It's not under active consideration." — Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 16, 2019
Tom E. Curran: Pats have three options with Michael Bennett>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.
