T. Johnson Ruling Could Come Soon

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appears poised to rule on a possible suspension of Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson for violating the league's conduct policy.

Goodell met with Johnson last week in New York after Johnson was released from prison. Johnson served half of a 120-day sentence for violating his probation in a gun case.

Last month, Goodell suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones for the entire 2007 season and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry for the first half of it for violating the conduct policy. Jones has appealed his suspension and had a second hearing before Goodell, but Goodell said today that he must receive more paperwork from Jones's representatives before ruling on the appeal.

Of Johnson's case, Goodell said: "I do not believe there's any information that I'm still waiting on, so I might be able to move on that faster."

Goodell said he thinks the message that he has sent about cracking down on off-field misdeeds is being received by the players.

"When you issue a conduct policy, that's not the end of the issue," Goodell said. "That's the beginning of the issue. We made it very clear what was expected of players, coaches and anyone involved in the National Football League. That standard is clear and I think from our standpoint, people understand that. I think they are responding to it. Obviously any time there is an incident, you're disappointed in that. But that's going to happen. We wanted to have a mechanism that they knew clearly what would happen and that we were going to be aggressive in this area, and will deal with it. But [incidents] are going to happen, and it's not the end of the road. It's the beginning of the road."

Goodell's comments came at the end of a one-day owners' meeting. Goodell also said:

*That the league is investing at least $4 million in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for upgrades.

It's "an investment in the history of our game, which we look at very positively," Goodell said.

*That the league, the players' union and other NFL-affiliated organizations have agreed to work cooperatively to try to address the medical needs of retired players.

*That the league, at the behest of the players' advisory council formed by Goodell and Players Association chief Gene Upshaw, will put more emphasis on players appointed captains by their teams, perhaps even identifying them on their uniforms.

By Mark Maske |  May 22, 2007; 8:55 PM ET  | Category:  Bears , League
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