Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Saturday that the NFL Competition Committee has discussed a proposal to penalize players for the on-field use of racial slurs.
Newsome, a member of the committee, said discussions took place at the NFL Scouting Combine and will continue when the group reconvenes for more meetings Friday in Naples, Fla.
During a Tuesday radio call-in appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show,"Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews sounded skeptical about the idea.
"I think it's used as a term of endearment between players, and I think it's so much a part of pop culture and culture in general that it's going to be very hard to eliminate that from the game of play," he said. "I think its more something that should come from the locker room, organization and team leaders to remove it if they see fit.
"This is an emotional game played by tough men who are obviously a little crazy in doing so in playing this game," he added. "I think this is going to be a very fine line as far as where this stops, when you start eliminating language from play. We'll see where this goes. I'm not sure how it will play out, but it will be very difficult."
Though the Fritz Pollard Alliance -- the NFL's racial diversity group driving the measure -- is confident the rule will come to pass, there's sure to be plenty of player opposition as well as legitimate questions how the rule can be effectively enforced.
Matthews can't be alone in his skepticism.
On the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys talk about the Jim Harbaugh drama in San Francisco and discuss who made the most striking impression at the NFL Scouting Combine.
