NFL commissioner Roger Goodell dipped his toe into recent conversation about the HBO miniseries "Hard Knocks," and the use of profanity by Jets coach Rex Ryan during the program, which drew criticism from former Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy. Appearing Wednesday on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning," Goodell offered his take. "Obviously, at times, you're going to get language that's not appropriate for all ages. It's something that we're not proud of, but it's a reality of what's happening in those camps."
Goodell also said the league and the National Football League Players Association should get a collective bargaining agreement settled before March before it becomes problematic, saying the two sides are working towards settling their differences before a rumored owner-imposed lockout occurs after this season, but the talks need a sense of urgency.
"There's really a window here," said Goodell. "This deal is going to be easier to make between now and let's say March. Once we get to March, it just becomes more complicated and more difficult. We really need to work hard in the next several months to try to get something that works for the players, that works for the owners and works for the game."
Asked why March -- the start of the new football calendar -- is significant, Goodell said, "When you don't have a system, potentially you start getting loss of revenues. And when you have loss of revenues, there's less money for us to negotiate over and that's always a harder situation or anyone to negotiate. We think that opportunity is now and between here and the March period."
On other topics, Goodell said his decision last week to reduce Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's suspension from six to four games was based on Roethlisberger's desire to change his behavior.
"He recognized that he made some poor judgments and he had to change the way he does things going forward and put himself in a better position," said Goodell.
"Everyone knows that when you're playing in the NFL, you're going to be on a large stage and your mistakes are going to be magnified. You've got to recognize that you've got to make good decisions. Ben, I think, understands that. I think he's made tremendous progress. He's been fully cooperative of everything that's been asked of him."
Goodell was evasive on the prospects of expanding the number of regular season international games, except to acknowledge that the league will play one game this year in London and a second game in Toronto.
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