Roger Goodell speaks of a professional flag, women’s sport and “push tush” during the championship meeting

The Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell held his annual press conference at the annual championship meeting Tuesday in Palm Beach, Florida. With an eye on the expansion of the NFL brand, the commissioner spent a good part of the conversation focused on investments in the sports flag and female sports, in particular in view of the 2028 Olympics.

NFL, women’s sport and flag football

One of the greatest focus of the League is the flag football, with Goodell who reported that there has been a good dose of discussions on investments in football alloys of the male and female flag. NFL officials consider professional championships as a useful teaching tool and a means of growing the game. Goodell previously had mentioned this potential development during his availability of the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the explorations with investors remain in progress.

The League would not necessarily be linked to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the first time football will be present at the games. However, Goodell believes that there is a growing momentum towards a formal launch in the coming years. Goodell mentioned that players have publicly expressed interest in participating in the next summer games and that the championship will have a better understanding of the fact that the players will be able to do it in the next 60 days.

Sunday evening, the winner of the Grand Slam 23 times Serena Williams and the Indiana Caitlin Clark guard have joined the investor and the Co-founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian and twice MVP of the Super Bowl Eli Manning in speaking in a forum on the importance of investing in women’s sports. In the eyes of the League, said Goodell, the football of the female flag at the level of professional school, high school and youth is among the major opportunities of the NFL to do it.

Goodell on “Tush Push”, Playoff Seeding

After the League decided to cut an official vote on banning the “push of Tush”, the NFL commissioner gave his two cents, noting “there are security problems that are considered”. The commissioner recognized, however, there are little data or no suggesting that the players hurt at a disproportionate rhythm in the “push tush” games.

“We have very few data from it, but it is beyond the data,” said Goodell. “There is the mechanism of injuries that we study … that leads us to show the risk involved in a particular game.”

Roger Goodell on Tush Push:

“… there are security problems that are taken into consideration … We have very few data from it, but it is beyond the data. There is the mechanism of injuries that we study … that leads us to show the risk involved in a particular comedy …” | @Thethleticnfl pic.twitter.com/ixgklcmivl

– James Boyd (@Romeovillekid) April 1, 2025

Goodell also touched another rule that was presented on Tuesday. The Detroit Lions presented an amendment to the sowing format of the League playoffs, allowing the Jolly teams to be sown higher than the winners of the division if the Jolly team has a higher record. Although Goodell said that he is convinced that winning the division should be rewarded with a home game, he defined the amendment a “very healthy proposal”.

“There are great data to demonstrate that we should really look at some form of this,” said Goodell, adding that a potential discussed version would penalize the winners of the division with a record of less than 500.

Recommendation to diversity

Goodell reiterated the NFL commitment for diversity during the press conference and encouraged the teams to continue working on the development and promotion of the assistants of staff members and female staff, adding that diversity improves the game. The League also remains engaged in the Rooney rule, one of the codified rules of the League focused on promoting diversity on coaching staff and fronts.

The commitment is concentrated in the middle of the dismantling of the initiatives of diversity, equity and inclusion under the Trump administration. Before the Super Bowl Lix in New Orleans – a game president Donald Trump participated – the championship The phrase “fine racism” has been removed in silence From the back of the final areas of both teams, replacing it with the phrase “Choose love”. The sentence had been described in the NFL stadiums since February 2021.

“We went to the efforts of diversity because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League,” said Goodell about removing the sentence in February. “And we will continue these efforts because not only have we convinced ourselves, but we have shown it to ourselves, but makes the NFL better.”

Justin Tucker’s investigation

Goodell briefly touched the investigations of the League on the Baltimore Ravens Justin Tucker footballer after a January report from the Baltimore banner who detailed the accusations of 16 masseurs in the Baltimore area who accuse the footballer of inappropriate sexual behavior during sessions from 2012 to 2016. Goodell said he had no update on the investigation and added the revision ” course”. The League will not provide any update until the investigation has been aimed.

Although only a few teams of the NFL make masseurs available available to their players, Goodell has said that the NFL is not considering limiting players from the use of independent masseurs. Any potential prohibition would be to help prevent situations similar following accusations against the Tucker quarterback and Cleveland Browns deshaun Watson, which was suspended in 2022 after accusations of sexual aggression and sexual harassment of over two dozens of masseurs during his time in Houston.

The program of 18 games

The championship has not yet had important discussions on the expansion of the regular season at 18 games, said Goodell. However, the League and the NFL Players Association will continue to explore the possibility of expansion.

In February, the NFLPA clarified a program of 18 games would be a non-starting for the union.

“Nobody wants to play an 18th game. Nobody,” said the executive director of the NFLPA Lloyd Howell during the press conference of the union union Super Bowl. “Some guys do not want to play 17 just given the toll he has on their body and the lack of time to recover. … seventeen games are so long that you still have to do with accidents that go in the next season. So, there are a variety of problems that hang from the duration of the season before any form of negotiation (they would take place).”

(Photo: Michael Democker / Getty Images)