It appears Roger Goodell isn't too concerned with what Marvin Lewis thinks about player celebrations.
A short time after Lewis expressed his disappointment over NFL owners voting Tuesday to relax rules regarding on-field displays of bliss and glee, the NFL commissioner didn't seem too keen on rehashing prior conversations he's had with the Bengals coach.
"Well, I've heard it from Marvin before," Goodell said after the conclusion of Tuesday's Spring League Meeting in Chicago. "We've had these discussions over the last couple years. And I think the players will prove him wrong on that. I think the players will do this in a way that will be responsible, show good sportsmanship, and do it in a way I think is entertaining but also respectful."
The push to no longer penalize or fine players for spontaneously showing off their signature celebration dance moves has found plenty of allies among players and fans alike. Lewis, however, feels injecting that back into the game sets a poor standard.
"I'm not for that at all," Lewis told ESPN's Katherine Terrell on Tuesday. "We had a good standard, and the whole standard has always been, you want to teach people how to play the game the correct way and go about it the correct way, and that's not a very good example for young people."
Lewis, a member of the NFL Competition Committee, said individual celebrations don't really have a place in a team sport.
"The rules were changed for a reason, and I thought we had a good outcome," he said. "Again, this is a team game, and ... I don't understand why we want to give in to individual celebrations."
Perhaps years of watching Chad Ochocinco's on-field antics hardened Lewis to the idea of having to relive that era of NFL history.
