The NFL and NFL Players Association are meeting Tuesday in Manhattan to discuss a revamped personal conduct policy, and the changing role of Commissioner Roger Goodell within it.
One plan that gained traction at last week's Fall League Meeting, according to two sources who were in the room, was to appoint either a discipline czar or a three-man discipline panel to oversee personal conduct. How the czar or panel would be appointed still has yet to be determined, though there is an acknowledgement that the players would likely want some say in the process. An ex-player or ex-players are likely to be primary among those considered for the position of czar or positions within a panel.
The czar or panel would handle discipline on the front end of the process, and levy penalties. Goodell would then serve as the appeals officer. According to sources, it's seen as important to the league that Goodell remains a part of the process because the conduct policy applies to all league employees, not just players.
Goodell is a part of the meetings Tuesday in New York, as is NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and union lawyers Tom DePaso and Heather McPhee.
Among the other aspects of personal conduct discussed at the Fall League Meeting last week was the status of the Ray Rice case. Two people who were part of the meeting left under the impression that Robert Mueller's expecting to finish up his investigation around the end of the calendar year.
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