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Goodell in spotlight as NFL meetings open

by Alex Marvez

Alex Marvez is a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com. He's covered the NFL for 13 seasons as a beat writer and is the president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Updated: May 21, 2008, 1:11 PM EST

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ATLANTA - The honeymoon lasted about 20 months.

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Roger Goodell should consider himself fortunate. To enjoy that long a stretch of relative tranquility — especially while running a league with as many issues as the NFL — is a luxury commissioners of other major sports bodies didn't enjoy following their hiring.

But those days are over. David Stern, Gary Bettman and Bud Selig now have some company.

Goodell is starting to feel some heat as the NFL enters its annual spring meeting today in Atlanta.

Items on the voting agenda include naming the Super Bowl XLVI host city (Indianapolis is the favorite) and whether long-haired players must tuck their manes inside helmets (unlikely for now). Those issues, though, are minor compared to others facing the league.

In particular, how three matters are ultimately resolved and/or handled will help shape Goodell's NFL legacy.

Spygate: No, this issue isn't dead yet. Not as long as Sen. Arlen Specter continues to chirp at the spotty way in which the NFL conducted its investigation. Even after former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh was grilled by Goodell and Specter, questions still linger about the extent of New England's signal-stealing video operation. It also appears Goodell let Patriots coach Bill Belichick off too lightly last September with a hastily levied fine rather than suspension.

Player conduct: Arrests aren't slowing down despite Goodell having implemented a personal conduct policy last year. Twenty-six players have gotten booked or cited between Super Bowl XLII and today. There were 27 arrests in that same span in 2007.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement: NFL owners voted to opt out of the current CBA on Tuesday morning. That would put the NFL on pace for a work stoppage in three years, something the league has avoided since 1987.

In some ways, Atlanta is a fitting site for these NFL meetings. At this time last year, Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was under heavy legal and media scrutiny for running a dog-fighting ring.

Just like the Falcons are now doing with Vick in prison, Goodell has the chance to move forward and make fans feel better about what direction the NFL is headed. Here are three steps Goodell can take to help address some of those aforementioned issues:

Make the Spygate investigation transparent: Don't wait for Specter to try to begin an independent government inquiry. If truly satisfied that the Spygate investigation is complete, Goodell should publicly release more information and then proclaim the case is closed. Otherwise, work with Specter's office to put this issue to rest.

Show that the conduct policy has teeth: The NFL fined 11 players for off-field incidents last year without ever making the punishment public. Releasing that information will show the league is being proactive. It may even cause a player to think twice before doing something illegal like drunk driving.

Aggressively pursue a CBA renegotiation: NFL owners clearly didn't think through the last CBA extension in 2006. Otherwise, the same group that approved the CBA by a 30-2 vote wouldn't be trying to escape from the deal so quickly.

The revenue-sharing plan between the owners and players seems outdated after 15 seasons. Goodell must spearhead some new proposals while diligently working to unify a divergent group of small- and large-market team owners.

None of this is easy. But hey — Goodell knew it wouldn't always be wine and roses when he accepted the job.

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