Roger Goodell

At the owners meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday, commissioner Roger Goodell briefly addressed the defamation lawsuit filed against him by New Orleans' Jonathan Vilma after he suspended the Saints linebacker for the 2012 season. Goodell said that he has "not spent a lot of time" on the lawsuit, in which Vilma contends the commissioner made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football. "I've been around this league for 30 years, and you are going to make decisions that will not be unanimous - it just doesn't happen, particularly in a game where there is a lot of emotion, a lot of passion," Goodell said.

A total of 1.35 million viewers tuned into the U.S. television coverage of the final day of the English Premier League season, an increase of 72 percent over 2011. U.S. networks televised all 10 games on Sunday. The largest rating was for Manchester City's title-winning 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers, which was seen by an average 600,000 viewers on ESPN2 and 189,000 on ESPN Deportes, according to Nielsen Media Research. Queens Park Rangers says it will investigate the actions of captain Joey Barton once the Football Association has completed its own hearing on the midfielder's sending off in the game against Manchester City.

The NFL and its locked-out players wrapped up another round of court-ordered mediation yesterday without any signs of a new agreement and the clock ticking on the 2011 season. Officials and attorneys for both sides said they will return for more closed-door talks with U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan on June 7, 4 days after a key appeals court hearing in St. Louis on the legality of the lockout. NFL lead negotiator Jeff Pash and former Vikings standout Carl Eller both said the talks went well, but there was no indication of any progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement.

A California congressman urged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to "act swiftly and forcefully" if Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was involved in dog fighting on his former property. U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) pointed out in a letter that he's a senior member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which 2 years ago held highly publicized hearings on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. "I am outraged that one of the National Football League's superstars is affiliated with such a heinous enterprise," Lantos wrote.

After two decades in the NFL, Andy Reid has seen many changes - it's what he says keeps his job fresh even as he enters his 14th season as Eagles head coach. So as debate swirls around the NFL's increasing restrictions on some hits and the stiff penalties handed out for the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, Reid endorsed the changes meant to make the game safer. He added that league commissioner Roger Goodell got it right when it came to imposing penalties for the Saints' bounties, lending the backing of the NFL's longest-tenured head coach to suspensions and rule changes that still rile some in the game.

Tank Johnson is the latest NFL player to feel the impact of commissioner Roger Goodell's crackdown on off-field misbehavior. The Chicago Bears defensive tackle was suspended yesterday for the first eight games of the 2007 season, the third player sidelined this offseason under Goodell's toughened personal-conduct policy. Johnson, who recently spent 2 months in the Cook County (Ill.) jail for violating probation on a gun charge, joins Tennessee's Adam "Pacman" Jones, suspended for the entire season, and Cincinnati's Chris Henry, out eight games.

During last night's pregame show, NBC's Keith Olbermann urged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell or Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to take action to help Andy Reid and his family. Olbermann described the plight of the Reid family as a "nightmarish skid. " Garrett Reid, 24, and Britt Reid, 22, were sentenced on Thursday to up to 23 months in jail for various offenses. Garrett Reid is expected to face additional charges for allegedly smuggling pills into the Montgomery County prison. Reid and his wife Tammy were strongly rebuked by Common Pleas Judge Steven T. O'Neill during Thursday's sentencing.

The NFL reportedly is considering punishing the New England Patriots for spying on the New York Jets in their season opener. ESPN.com, citing league sources, reported yesterday that commissioner Roger Goodell has determined the Patriots violated league rules Sunday when they videotaped defensive signals by the Jets' coaches. The report said the Patriots were expected to present their case by Friday. The Web site's report said Goodell is considering severe sanctions, including docking the Patriots "multiple draft picks.

After four long and intense mediation sessions between the NFL and its locked-out players, the judge decided to give both parties an extended break. By the time they reconvene in mid-May, the landscape of their discussions could be completely different. Executive vice president Jeff Pash, the NFL's lead negotiator, said Wednesday that U.S. Judge Magistrate Arthur Boylan told both sides they likely would not convene again until May 16 because he has a few other matters on his judicial calendar.

IN HIS WRAPUP news conference, commissioner Roger Goodell said he will make a decision "as quickly as possible" on punishment for New Orleans Saints defensive players who participated in the team's bounty system for knocking opposing players out of games. The architect of the pay-for-KO system, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the Rams, was suspended from the league indefinitely last week by Goodell. Head coach Sean Payton received a 1-year suspension. General manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended for the first eight games of the season.

At the owners meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday, commissioner Roger Goodell briefly addressed the defamation lawsuit filed against him by New Orleans' Jonathan Vilma after he suspended the Saints linebacker for the 2012 season. Goodell said that he has "not spent a lot of time" on the lawsuit, in which Vilma contends the commissioner made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football. "I've been around this league for 30 years, and you are going to make decisions that will not be unanimous - it just doesn't happen, particularly in a game where there is a lot of emotion, a lot of passion," Goodell said.

A total of 1.35 million viewers tuned into the U.S. television coverage of the final day of the English Premier League season, an increase of 72 percent over 2011. U.S. networks televised all 10 games on Sunday. The largest rating was for Manchester City's title-winning 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers, which was seen by an average 600,000 viewers on ESPN2 and 189,000 on ESPN Deportes, according to Nielsen Media Research. Queens Park Rangers says it will investigate the actions of captain Joey Barton once the Football Association has completed its own hearing on the midfielder's sending off in the game against Manchester City.

After two decades in the NFL, Andy Reid has seen many changes - it's what he says keeps his job fresh even as he enters his 14th season as Eagles head coach. So as debate swirls around the NFL's increasing restrictions on some hits and the stiff penalties handed out for the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, Reid endorsed the changes meant to make the game safer. He added that league commissioner Roger Goodell got it right when it came to imposing penalties for the Saints' bounties, lending the backing of the NFL's longest-tenured head coach to suspensions and rule changes that still rile some in the game.

It's a safe bet that rookie Simon Pagenaud will never forget this week's visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Doing the typically insane 200 mph, Pagenaud hit a bird, which caused a sizable dent in the grill protecting the radiator. "I saw the birds, but I didn't know [I hit one]," Pagenaud said. "I didn't even know it was in the car. I just thought they flew away. " It's doubtful the wayward bird, rest his [or her] soul, ever knew what hit him [or her]. Pagenaud's crew needed 20 minutes to fix the damage.

The family of former NFL star Junior Seau will donate his brain for research into repetitive head injuries, San Diego Chargers chaplain Shawn Mitchell said Friday. "Junior was philanthropic," Mitchell said. "And he got that from his mom and dad. Their hope is that it can serve athletes down the road. " Seau, 43, was found dead in his Oceanside, Calif., home Wednesday morning of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. He did not leave a note. Some have speculated that brain injuries from football may have played a role in his death, but there's been no medical confirmation of such damage.

Here is a sampling of reaction to Brian Dawkins' announcement that he is retiring after 16 seasons in the NFL. NFL comissioner Roger Goodell: "Congrats Brian Dawkins on a successful 16-year career. Great player, great family. More importantly, great man in community and locker room. " Broncos head coach John Fox: "Brian Dawkins is one of the best to ever play the game, a future Hall of Famer who changed the way his position is played. In many ways, he helped my job as a coach with his great leadership and preparation.

SEAN PAYTON now knows for certain he won't be coaching in 2012. And the New Orleans Saints must figure out whether Bill Parcells or someone else is best suited to take over a team seeking its fourth straight trip to the playoffs. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday rejected the Saints' appeals of their unprecedented punishment stemming from the league's investigation of the club's bounty system. The program offered cash bonuses for big hits that knocked targeted opponents out of games or hurt them enough that they required help getting to the sideline.

IN HIS WRAPUP news conference, commissioner Roger Goodell said he will make a decision "as quickly as possible" on punishment for New Orleans Saints defensive players who participated in the team's bounty system for knocking opposing players out of games. The architect of the pay-for-KO system, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the Rams, was suspended from the league indefinitely last week by Goodell. Head coach Sean Payton received a 1-year suspension. General manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended for the first eight games of the season.

SO, LET'S GET this straight: The New Orleans Saints run a bounty scheme for the past 3 years, win a Super Bowl with it, get caught, their excellent head coach gets suspended . . . And they wind up with a better head coach? This is justice? Somehow, it doesn't seem likely that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expected the Saints to become a more respected team when he played hangin' judge last week. Goodell suspended Sean Payton for 10 months, beginning April 1, unless Payton appeals.

PALM BEACH, Fla. - The NFL's playoff overtime rule is coming to the regular season. The rule, which gives the kicking team in overtime a possession opportunity if the receiving team kicks a field goal but fails to score a touchdown, was approved by the owners for only the postseason 2 years ago. Beginning this season, it also will be used in regular-season games in the event the game is tied at the end of regulation. The overtime rule was one of five playing rules proposals adopted by the owners Wednesday morning before they adjourned their 3-day meeting at the Breakers resort.