Goodell: Richardson helpful in CBA talks

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

CHARLOTTE -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was in Charlotte on Monday and said he has been impressed with how active a role Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has taken in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with the players union.

Richardson, who underwent heart transplant surgery on Super Bowl Sunday, remains the co-chair of the league's committee that spearheads talks for a new CBA. And while his recovery from surgery has slowed the 73-year-old owner a bit, Goodell said he still leans on Richardson.

“He's played a very valuable role for us and continues to talk to all 32 teams on a regular basis,” Goodell said. “He's in very close contact with myself and Jeff Pash (the league's vice president and general counsel), our lead negotiator. He's already played a very valuable role and will continue to.”

Goodell said he is impressed with Richardson's condition, saying: “He looks so good. He's motivating me to go back and lose some weight. He looks great, and he's very engaged, and it's terrific to see him doing well after all he's been through.”

What doesn't look as promising at the moment is the progress toward a new CBA. There have been discussions, but there is no telling at the moment how much progress actually has been made.

The looming uncapped year, Goodell said, will not serve as a deterrent to teams. While many have long felt that taking away the limits teams spend would create baseball-style haves and have-nots, the reality is it's accompanied with no salary floor and new limits on which players qualify for free agency (moving the bar from four years to six).

“No, they're not afraid of it,” Goodell said. “We prepared for it, we planned for it. ... We would like to get an extension to the collective bargaining agreement, but the owners are prepared for that.”

The two sides have agreed to limit the amount of public posturing, and Goodell measured his words carefully when asked for his thoughts on how the negotiations would end.

“I'm not characterizing my degree of hopefulness,” he said. “I think this is something that is an opportunity for all of us to create a system that is good for the players and the owners long-term. I think we all need to address it professionally and in a fashion at the table so that everyone understands the various positions and hopefully we can get a resolution. ...

“I don't think me handing out artificial timetables is going to help, either. We're working diligently and we'll continue to be there at any point in time where we can make enough progress to get something done. But an artificial deadline won't help.”

While in town, Goodell also got a few swipes in at Time Warner Cable, the biggest national cable outlet which doesn't offer the NFL Network — which will be broadcasting Carolina's game Thursday against Miami.

After mentioning the progress the league's programming arm has made, he expressed frustration that fans in Charlotte couldn't see it.

“The negative is we're still struggling with distribution,” Goodell said. “We have 53 million homes and over 300 distributors and a large carrier in this market right here, as a matter of fact, Time Warner, is denying their customers the opportunity to see the network. And it's not just the network; it's also the Red Zone, which we've had an incredible reaction to from fans and the partners who are carrying it. They haven't seen this kind of innovation in sports television in many, many years.

“So we're disappointed that Time Warner isn't carrying the NFL Network. We believe it's in the best interest of their consumers, but we will continue to push on.”

Time Warner covers most of the Charlotte market, and Thursday's game against Miami will be offered locally on WAXN.

JUMP ON THE INJURY REPORT — Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd might be limited today when the Panthers resume practice, according to his Twitter feed.

Lloyd posted the following message Monday afternoon: “Tell u what. I am sore today. Hamstring tight as a ducks butt.”

Not really sure what that means, but it sounds uncomfortable.

Lloyd leads the league in kickoffs into end zone percentage by a significant margin (he is at 76.3 percent, Atlanta is second at 68.9), but because of some coverage issues, he is second in touchbacks (44.7 percent, to the Falcons' 46.3).

EXTRA POINTS — Lloyd wasn't mentioned on the injury report the Panthers had to file to the league, even though they didn't practice.

They listed five players as being held out, which means they would have been if they practiced Monday.

Defensive tackle Damione Lewis (shoulder) and defensive end Charles Johnson (pectoral muscle) were listed as out, along with fullback Brad Hoover, safety Charles Godfrey and running back Jonathan Stewart.

Lewis and Johnson are the new ones, and if they don't play, it would severely compromise the Panthers' ability to rush the passer on third downs.