Making sure that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell retains all of his authoritarian powers isn’t worth the potential cost to the NFL.
If the NFL Players Association is serious about negotiating with the league to have Goodell stripped of his powers to discipline players, the owners should go along with it and work out a deal.
The players and owners have been at relative labor peace since Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith negotiated a 10-year collective bargaining agreement in 2011.
Although the agreement has no opt-out clause and will last through the 2020 season, discord between the NFL and NFLPA is never good for business and usually ends up costing both sides.