One of the items on the agenda at the NFL Spring Meetings was playoff expansion. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has voiced his support for it, and said he expects it to happen in the future though he wasn’t sure about the 2014 season.
“Well, I don’t know about 2014,” Goodell said back in April, via NFL.com. “We’re focused on being, obviously, very thoughtful. We want to make sure we make the right decision and implement it the right way.
“We’ve gone through a number of committees and talking with a number of our partners, including the players and our network partners but I do think it will happen. I don’t know if it will be ’14 or ’15 but I do expect it will happen in the future.”
Well they did indeed discuss playoff expansion has been tabled until the fall by the league owners. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that “they discussed playoff expansion” at the Spring Meetings but “there will be no vote.” Rapoport also reported that they “assembled a draft committee to discuss its future.”
Later in the day, Rapoport reported that Goodell confirmed there would be “no expanded playoffs for this year” and that they’ll continue to focus on Thursday night’s expanded broadcast. CBS will be airing games on Thursday nights during 2014, previously those games were reserved only for the NFL Network.
Goodell left the door open for the 2015 season though and said the league will continue to discuss it with the National Football League Players Association, adding that he talked to DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFLPA, two weeks ago.
“I do believe (expanded playoffs) will be approved for 2015,” Goodell said.
If he wants to pursue it, he has a supporter in Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. Smith said that the hurdle from the players side of the discussion is of workers compensation benefits or increased injury protection.
“The players have not seen a press release from the NFL indicating that they were going to take up the issue of better workers compensation benefits or increased injury protection benefits in light of their desire for extra playoff games,” Smith told USA Today.
“A credible commitment to player health and safety has to include more than a group of Owners voting to recommend playing more games.”
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