Owners likely to vote on new policy
— -- The NFL's owners on Wednesday are expected to discuss and possibly vote on a revised personal conduct policy submitted by commissioner Roger Goodell. ESPN's "Outside the Lines" has obtained a copy of the memo and attached mission statement sent to NFL owners.
Among the key points to team owners, who are gathering in Irving, Texas, for their final scheduled meeting before the end of the season:
• The NFL has decided it can "no longer defer entirely to the decisions of the criminal justice system, which is governed by processes and considerations that are not appropriate to a workplace, especially a workplace as visible and influential as ours."
• The new policy will "embrace the use of independent investigations." To that end, the NFL will explore hiring a special counsel for investigations and conduct.
• The policy will implement an element of leave with pay during investigations of persons charged with violent crimes.
• The new policy "essentially removes the commissioner from the initial disciplinary proceedings," though the commissioner will maintain his role in the appeals process, but establishes "a more rigorous and transparent process for those initial disciplinary decisions."
Goodell says in the memo that he wants the NFL to "continuously review and refresh" its standards and policies. He also stresses that the league can no longer completely defer to the courts in matters of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault, "all of which are complex and difficult subjects."
"Each is a societal problem that is frequently underreported. As a league, we must have a continued focus on the needs of victims and families; among other things, we must encourage victims and those who observe such misconduct to come forward, to report offenses, and to seek help.
"We can no longer defer entirely to the decisions of the criminal justice system, which is governed by processes and considerations that are not appropriate to a workplace, especially a workplace as visible and influential as ours," Goodell writes.
Goodell also writes that on Wednesday he will name a committee of owners "that will be responsible for ensuring that our Policy remains current and reflective of evolving legal and societal standards."
The NFL Players Association says it has not had input into the revamped personal conduct policy and has sought to have any alterations to the policy negotiated.
George Atallah, the assistant executive director of external affairs at the NFLPA, referred to the NFL's refusal to negotiate a new policy in a series of tweets Wednesday.
The current policy was part of the 2011 collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the players' union. But in the wake of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson cases, portions of the policy were reworked.
Among the union's aims is to have commissioner Roger Goodell's role in handing out discipline reduced or even eliminated.
League spokesman Greg Aiello said the union's proposal "would weaken the policy."
"The commissioner's disciplinary authority for off-field conduct was negotiated as part of the 2011 CBA," Aiello said in an email to The Associated Press. "The personal conduct policy applies to all NFL personnel and has never been the subject of collective bargaining. It has been in place for almost 20 years [since 1997]."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
