NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held a short press conference Wednesday to recap the Winter League Meeting.
Goodell fielded five questions, but arguably the biggest subject to come up in the little more than three minutes he was on the podium surrounded the league's stance on obtaining video, which has been a subject of discussion since TMZ released footage showing former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt shoving and kicking a woman.
Media criticism quickly followed on the league front office's inability to also secure the video, but Goodell made it clear his office would not purchase video footage as part of the investigative process.
"Well, first off, we don't pay for video evidence," Goodell said. "We don't have the -- from our standpoint -- we think that that's not appropriate for a league organization to do that."
The commissioner said the league reached out to the police department and the hotel, but ultimately the NFL had to deal with what they could get.
"We obtain material that we have access to," Goodell said. "We look to do that, but we're not going to do it by corrupting people or trying to find a way to bribe them into giving us video. That's not what we do."
The Chiefs acted swiftly by releasing Hunt within hours after TMZ published the video, and the league placed Hunt on the Commissioner's Exempt List.
Goodell indicated those two examples of action shows the league took the matter seriously.
"I think what we're doing as a league is extraordinary," he said. "We have -- I think -- some of the highest standards of any organization. We take this seriously. We have zero tolerance for violence against women, and as a league, I think we've responded very quickly."
Here are the other areas the league commissioner discussed:
Goodell said the NFL always looks for ways to improve investigative procedures: "The dynamics change, the complexity of those change, and so we're always looking at how do we improve it."
On the Washington Redskins claiming linebacker Reuben Foster off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers, Goodell said that is a team decision.
Goodell said he is not aware on the latest surrounding the Denver Broncos' trust and ownership dispute among the beneficiaries. "I'm usually told about that when they need my assistance," Goodell said. "To date, I have not been involved at all."
The commissioner addressed a question on the Oakland lawsuit and if there were time constraints on knowing where the Raiders would play in 2019. Goodell said it had nothing to do with the pending litigation, but he was hoping to know something by "early January, February" for scheduling purposes. Goodell added that Raiders owner Mark Davis expressed a desire to play in Oakland. The Raiders are scheduled to play in Las Vegas by the 2020 season.
As a final note, the league voted to enhance and strengthen the Rooney Rule. The four points of emphasis are:
- Clubs must interview at least one diverse candidate from the Career Development Advisory Panel list or a diverse candidate not currently employed by the club;
- Clubs must continue best practice recommendation of considering multiple diverse candidates;
- Clubs must maintain complete records and furnish to the league upon Commissioner's request; and
- If final decision-maker is involved in the beginning, he/she must be involved through the conclusion of the process.
"Since the inception of the Rooney Rule, we have seen the rule adopted across business sectors and considered an industry best practice to increase diversity," Goodell said in a statement. "The policy updates made today will bolster the current Rooney Rule requirements and are intended to create additional opportunities for diverse candidates to be identified, interviewed, and ultimately hired when a vacancy becomes available."
