Reporting from Chicago — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday the league is “aggressively gathering data” on the accusations against Brett Favre but declined to define a time frame for the investigation or say whether suspending the Minnesota Vikings quarterback is an option.
“I’d be hesitant to say any timing until I had a chance to understand that and make sure we can get all the information,” Goodell said after the league’s annual one-day fall owners meetings. “We’re seeking to get cooperation to make sure we understand all the facts.”
The allegations stem from a Deadspin.com report that, while quarterback of the New York Jets in 2008, Favre made advances to a female TV reporter working for the team, including texting her X-rated photos of himself. Favre has repeatedly declined to address the accusations but reportedly made a tearful apology to his Vikings teammates before their “Monday Night Football” game against the Jets, telling them he never meant to be a distraction.
Goodell has made the league’s so-called “personal conduct policy” a hallmark of his tenure, and he previously has suspended star quarterbacks Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger for what amounted to conduct detrimental to the league.
“That’s why we implemented a personal conduct policy is to make sure everyone associated with the NFL — commissioner, players, coaches, executives — understands their responsibility to conduct themselves in a responsible fashion,” Goodell said. “We all have to understand that.”