NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is willing to lessen his role in the player discipline process, but he's still reluctant to give up final say.
Goodell told ESPN Radio on Tuesday morning the league resists third-party arbitration. The players union wants disciplinary power now held by Goodell to be handled by a neutral arbitrator.
Goodell said he's "very open" to changing his role and called it "extremely time consuming," adding he has discussed this matter with several owners the past couple years. After a federal judge overturned Tom Brady's four-game suspension in the Deflategate scandal last week, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank suggested it may be time to revisit the system that makes Goodell the sole arbiter of cases.