A few folks have asked how my daily life has changed since coming to work for the NFL. It's mostly the same, except I am the only blogger in America who has to wear a tie every day and there is a gigantic photo of the David Tyree helmet catch on my way to my desk.
Occasionally, there is also something cool going on in the office that I can crash. Friday's meeting between the NFL and the APSE (Associated Press Sports Editors) organization is a good example.
I already wrote about the comments from NFL executive vice president and general counsel Jeff Pash regarding the Saints. Here were the other main nuggets from the session:
- The NFLPA and NFL found something to agree on. The two sides continued to discuss ways they can improve the Pro Bowl during a meeting Monday. Pash mentioned insurance, rule changes, and changing the payout amounts as possible ways to improve the product.
- Pash on the Vikings stadium issues: "What we're asking for in Minnesota is a decision. We respect whatever the decision is. ... I think our objective, our goal is to have the Vikings stay in Minnesota."
Later, when asked, Pash said: "If the the stadium negotiations fail in Minnesota, the Vikings might well satisfy the league's criteria for relocation."
The words aren't surprising, but they are sobering for Vikings fans.
"They no longer have a lease. They clearly have been making a good faith effort to try to get a new stadium. The inability to get a stadium, at least at the moment, doesn't appear to be something that can be attributed to a failure on the part of the team," Pash said.