NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joined Mike Lupica on ESPN Radio New York 1050 AM on Friday to discuss, of course, the ongoing NFL labor dispute.
↵As he has consistently in recent weeks, Goodell slammed the players for taking the issue to the courts.
↵↵↵"I believe this is going to be resolved through negotiations at some point. I believe that the litigation just delays the ultimate resolution and the ability of the parties to sit down," Goodell said. "In fact even the courts have encouraged us to sit down and settle this.
↵"It belongs in collective bargaining. It's a labor dispute, and that's what we should be doing."
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Goodell is concerned about the anti-trust challenge the players have now made in court.
↵↵↵"My concern is that the anti-trust challenge can ruin the great game of football," Goodell said. "Every team comes into the season with a chance to win, and I don't want to lose that."
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Goodell discussed his relationship with NFLPA head honcho DeMaurice Smith, one that has not appeared good at all from the outside.
↵↵↵"We have to recognize it's not about fighting. It's about creating something better together. It's about working together to build the sport, which will ultimately benefit the membership, the 32 clubs and most importantly the fans."
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I wish Goodell -- and Smith -- would stop talking about the fans. Sorry, but no one believes these guys really care about the fans in this dispute. They care about winning the argument -- and that is a big part of the problem.