It seems the Deflategate debacle has sufficiently frustrated the NFL's 32 owners to the point that they'll now consider changes to commissioner Roger Goodell's role in the disciplinary process. Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported early Friday afternoon that the league's owners "plan to discuss the possibility of changing commissioner Roger Goodell's role" when it comes to meting out punishments and hearing appeals.
It's not yet apparent, per Maske, whether the dicussions would involve possibly reducing Goodell's authority, but it seems Deflategate has certainly left a lasting impression on the wealthy men who finance the league over which Goodell presides.
"There will certainly be discussion about that," an unnamed owner said, via Maske. The owner added that he is "not sure where it will lead."
New York Giants owner John Mara said more than once during the Deflategate saga that he believed the process should have ended much sooner than it did. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank indicated just this week that he would be open to discussing potential changes to the disciplinary process for the league.
"This deflate-gate thing, which isn't about deflate-gate any longer - it's about what has been collectively negotiated for decades in terms of the commissioner's responsibility in terms of disciplining players," Blank told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "If we have to look at that differently in today's light, in today's environment, as an ownership group we should be prepared to do that. The commissioner should be prepared to do that."
Of course, a report from Kent Babb, also of the Washington Post, highlighting Goodell's rise to prominence, suggested that Goodell enjoyed "universal support" from the league's owners.
"Overall," another unnamed owner said, via Babb, "everybody thinks he's doing a very good job in a very, very challenging environment."
Despite the positive comments, it seems that at least some faction of the NFL's ownership is dissatisfied with the current state of the league's process for punishment. As Maske notes, the NFLPA has been pushing for a neutral arbitrator to hear appeals in player discipline.
