Roger Goodell addresses Deshaun Watson, Brian Flores legal situations

The NFL dealt with some legal issues this offseason when Brian Flores sued the league for alleged racial discrimination and a grand jury found Deshaun Watson would not face criminal charges for several lawsuits against him. Ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, Roger Goodell addressed both of them.

During an interview with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, Goodell first addressed Watson’s issues, which stem from multiple accusations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. Even though the grand jury found him not guilty, several civil cases still haven’t been resolved.

Now a member of the Cleveland Browns, Watson’s status for 2022 is still unclear as a punishment from the league could still happen. Goddell said he couldn’t provide a timeline yet, but the league is still working through everything.

“We’re taking it very seriously,” Goodell said. “The NFL personal conduct policy is [an] issue that we will be focused on. Our investigators are working on that. When they complete that, then they submit it to a disciplinary officer who is selected by the union and management, and they’ll make a decision at that point and time. There’s no timetable on it. Obviously, the investigation’s still ongoing and we’re going to take it seriously.”

When the NFL changed its latest collective bargaining agreement, it made it so these situations wouldn’t come across Goodell’s desk. However, if one side appeals the disciplinary officer’s decision, Goodell could decide to get involved.

Roger Goodell on the Brian Flores lawsuit

Flores’ bombshell lawsuit against the league was one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. Multiple allegations were made against the Miami Dolphins and the league, and Goodell acknowledged there are areas the NFL needs to improve regarding diversity.

He discussed what the league is doing to get better in that regard.

“First off, I have great respect for Brian,” Goodell said. “He’s a great coach and, I think, a great man. Glad he’s coaching with the Steelers. We’re taking everything that he’s talked about as far as opportunities for African American coaches and other people of color, including women, and we want to make sure that we’re doing better there.

“We’ve been very deliberate and intentional with our efforts in diversity and inclusion, but we haven’t done as well with head coaches. We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can in that area. We’re working with different groups, we’ve brought in a lot of extra people [to] look at our policies. It’s something that we want to do better and I believe we will.”