Goodell defends handling of spy scandal

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell tried time and again to downplay the significance of the New England Patriots' spying system, while defending his own decision to destroy the Patriots' spy tapes.

"Spygate" took center stage in Goodell's annual Super Bowl week news conference Friday at the Phoenix Convention Center, though another item he discussed might be of more interest to fans.

Goodell indicated he's concerned about the growing trend of playoff-bound teams who have wrapped up a particular seed to rest players in late-season games. Some fans view this as "tanking" games.

So, in addition to considering the broader issue, the NFL may give a wild-card team home-field advantage over a division winner if it has the better record.

"The incentive should be for teams to win as many games as possible," Goodell said.

Nine games in this season's final two weeks involved at least one team with nothing to play for, he said.

An exception to this concern came when the Giants and Patriots played a thriller in the season's final week, though the outcome didn't affect their playoff standing.

"They played their hearts out," Goodell said of New England's 38-35 victory. "That was one of the proudest moments I had in 2007."

As for the Patriots, the team turned over to him a series of six videotapes of opposing coaches' signals dating back to the 2006 season, he said.

"What we found was totally consistent with what the team told us," he said.

He said he meted out "unprecedented discipline" in fines and the loss of a first-round pick.

He also argued the success of this year's Patriots team shouldn't be considered tainted, nor should any of their Super Bowl wins.

"I think it probably had a limited effect, if any," he said. "Coaches are aware of the possibility of their signals being stolen."

The Patriots assured Goodell they turned over all such tapes. He indicated he destroyed the tapes to prevent them being leaked and because if another one turned up, he would know, "I wasn't told the truth."

The destruction of the tapes has been brought up by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who has questioned whether the Patriots' 2005 Super Bowl win over the Eagles might have been tainted.

In other matters, Goodell said:

Security is a "serious issue," noting four players, all 24 years old, died in about the past year.

"That's clearly the lowlight of the season for me. It's a tragedy."

He said players are encouraged to live in secure areas and take steps to secure their homes.

His code-of-conduct policies have resulted in better player behavior, including a 20 percent reduction in off-field incidents this past year.

Is looking at requiring rookies to spend time at the Pro Football Hall of Fame so they can better understand the game's heritage.

Gave no indication at all Los Angeles is close to getting another team. "The last thing you want to do is to come back and fail."

The Bills' plan to play one regular-season game for the next five years in Toronto will help the team expand its fan base.

He repeatedly said the NFL is "not actively looking at expansion," but added, "If we look to expand, certainly Canadian markets would be something we'd look at."

The league is examining its disability program and that, "I'm confident we will make changes that will be beneficial."

Along similar lines, he said the league wants more data on concussions and possible brain damage to players later in life. Goodell once again indicated skepticism toward critics' findings.