MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on Super Bowl activities on Wednesday including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual Super Bowl week news conference. (all times local):
2:30 p.m.
Commissioner Roger Goodell says he was aware of the announcement of the return of the rival XFL, but hadn’t had time to think much about what it means for the NFL.
Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday said league officials “want to make sure our game stays strong for the long term.” He said he would “have to see” if the NFL is asked to be involved, saying he didn’t know “enough specifics of that proposal.”
WWE boss Vince McMahon last week announced the return of the XFL in 2020, during the NFL’s offseason. The gimmicky original version lasted just the 2001 season.
___
2:10 p.m.
Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL wants to build on its relationship with Mexico City after the league announced that Kansas City and the Los Angeles Rams will play there in 2018. The Rams will be the host team.
Goodell was asked during his annual Super Bowl news conference Wednesday if other sites in Mexico, including Monterrey and Guadalajara, would be considered. He said it was something the league “may consider in the future” but for now was enjoying “such a good situation in Mexico City.”
The Raiders are set to play in London for their fourth international game in five years as they finish their stay in Oakland before the move to Las Vegas in 2020.
While Goodell acknowledged that the NFL has teams “in transition from temporary stadiums to long-term facilities,” he said the Raiders are “an attractive team globally.”
The Rams and Chargers have temporary homes in Los Angeles while a stadium that will house both is being built.
___
1:50 p.m.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has reiterated his stance that it’s not the NFL’s place to get involved in whether Colin Kaepernick gets a chance with another team.
Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday that teams “have to make their own decisions as far as who’s on their roster.”
Kaepernick, who sparked the protests involving the national anthem early in the 2016 season, wasn’t signed this past season following his release in San Francisco.
The comments from Goodell came a day after Philadelphia Eagles receiver Torrey Smith said Kaepernick not getting a chance with another team “kind of falls in the category of an injustice in itself.”
As it relates to roster decisions, Goodell said the NFL won’t “get involved in that in any way.”
___
1:30 p.m.
The NFL has hired an independent investigator to look into claims of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace against Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday that former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White will lead the investigation. White has led similar investigations in other fields, including a recent one at the University of Rochester.
Richardson stepped away from day-to-day operations after allegations surfaced and is seeking to sell the team. The NFL has said it didn’t pressure Richardson to sell based on the allegations.
Goodell said he wants the team to remain in Carolina.
___
1:20 p.m.
Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL will emphasize ways to cut down on longer replay reviews while focusing on the rule book as a way to improve officiating.
Goodell said Wednesday in his annual Super Bowl address that the focus on rules will include ways to refine the catch rule, which has been widely criticized.
The commissioner said the focus for reviews will be on “making sure it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game.”
___
1 p.m.
Commissioner Roger Goodell is holding his annual Super Bowl week address the same day as the NFL’s announcement of a new Thursday night TV deal with Fox.
There are other issues as backdrops for Goodell’s news conference Wednesday near the site of Sunday’s meeting between New England and Philadelphia.
The league recently announced a player-owner committee to address causes of social justice in the wake of player protests involving the national anthem. The nickname issue involving the Washington Redskins is likely to come up again after baseball’s Cleveland Indians decided this week to remove the Chief Wahoo logo in 2019.
Goodell signed a contract extension in December that runs into 2024. The deal was a source of conflict between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the six owners on the committee in charge of negotiating the extension.
Jones threatened to scuttle the contract, but denied his opposition to the deal was related to Goodell’s decision to suspend star Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games.
___
For more AP NFL: http://www.pro32.ap.org and NFL: http://www.pro32.ap.org
Please read our comment policy before commenting.