Goodell explains NFL lockout to Jets fans

When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stepped to the podium to open the draft Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall, he was hit with a wave of boos followed by a prolonged fan chant: "We want football! We want football!"

It was an obvious sign of fan frustration with the recent lockout, which was lifted Friday as a result of court decisions. In a conference call with Jets season-ticket holders Friday morning, Goodell said he understands the fans' feelings.

"I hear it directly from them," Goodell said. "They want football. I want football. That was a clear indication of me not being able to solve that [labor situation]. That's my responsibility, and I accept it."

In response to court decisions lifting the lockout on Monday and refusing to grant the NFL's request for a stay on Thursday, Goodell said the league scheduled a conference call later Friday to go over the rules the league's legal team has developed to govern player transactions, including free-agent signings for rookies and veterans.

"We have to respect the courts," Goodell. "As soon as we're done [going over the new rules], we'll have a better understanding."

With the entire labor situation still subject to litigation, the NFL is in a tricky position. It can impose new work rules, but if any new system is found to be in violation of a future court-imposed standard as a result of the players' anti-trust suit, the league would be subject to treble damages (tripled damages awarded by the court to punish a defendant for willful conduct).

Goodell said it has been important for the NFL to respond to court decisions in an orderly fashion, but he added, "I believe litigation is not the way to resolve this matter."

That was a theme he sounded a couple of times during his exchange with Jets fans, who submitted their questions before they were selected by the moderator to speak directly to the commissioner. Asked if there is a "drop-dead date" by which the labor dispute must be solved to avoid losing games, Goodell said he hopes it doesn't reach that point.

Challenged by one fan to defend the league's decision to lock the players out with the intention of low-balling the players, Goodell said, "It's pretty simple because there are issues that need to be corrected and things that need to be improved. There are aspects of [the system] we think work pretty well that are under attack. The draft is one aspect we think works very well, but that is being attacked in this antitrust case. That's why I speak out against that.

"But there are other things that should be modified. The rookie compensation system is something we think needs to be adjusted. We think the money should go to proven veterans. That has to be done within the collective bargaining agreement. We think there can be further improvements to player health and safety that will benefit the players, benefit the league and benefit the game.

"We have to also look at the economic model and make sure that we're being responsible, that we can continue to invest in the game, invest in innovations that are going to make the game better like the great stadium you have in New York. It's fantastic to be able to invest in those, and it's good for the fans . . . That doesn't mean the status quo is acceptable. It means you have to look at every agreement you have and find ways to improve it."

The clear inference about investing in stadiums is that owners need more revenue to pay the debt service on the modern facilities they have built. That's why NFL owners have demanded another billion off the top of revenues for their expenses before they divide the remaining revenue, and NBA owners are prepared to make a similar argument.

One fan wondered whether the lockout is over for good or might be reinstated before the season can begin. "The lockout is over by a judgment of the district court," Goodell said. "Doors opened this morning for all players at 8 o'clock. But it is still a matter of litigation, and this is why I'm not a fan of litigation. There are different appeals, different steps, and I think this is something we need to sit down and address in a negotiation."