Eric Winston Says Roger Goodell's Role in Player Discipline Will Impact New CBA

Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Eric Winston, who serves as the president of the National Football League Players Association, hopes an agreement can be reached to change the role of commissioner Roger Goodell in player discipline. If not, the issue will take center stage during the next CBA talks.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported Winston firmly believes a truly neutral arbitrator must be brought into the process. He said any confidence the players had in allowing Goodell to fill that role is "long gone" and the way things are handled must get altered.

"It would be hard to imagine any new deal if there's not a change," Winston said. "I can't imagine taking a new deal back to the players and say personal conduct isn't going to change."

The report notes the current CBA between the NFL and the players runs through the 2020 season. That's why Winston hopes some type of deal can be reached beforehand. Otherwise, the NFLPA will make it a top priority when the next talks open up.

It's an issue that's grabbed the spotlight during the Deflategate drama. The league decided to hand a four-game suspension to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for his alleged role in the scandal, and Goodell himself upheld the decision, which is now heading for a court appeal.

Even though the Deflategate situation has created an unnecessary cloud over the league, Goodell is still receiving support. Maske passed along pointed comments from a high-ranking league official about how things are currently handled.

"This is the system that the union helped to create in collective bargaining," the team official said. "If they don't like it, they should work to change it at the bargaining table instead of running to court every time there's an outcome they don't like."

The league offices want to retain as much power as possible, but the fact that so many suspensions are starting to cause major problems is a sign change is needed.

Alas, it's hard to imagine the punishment process remaining workable for five more years before it can be changed through the CBA, but it remains to be seen if the two sides will be able to work out a new process.