NFL commissioner Roger Goodell joined Greta Van Susteren on her Fox News show, On the Record, yesterday to talk about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the state of the NFL, concussions, HGH testing and more. Greta asked him about the recent fining of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu for using a cell phone on the sideline to talk to his wife after leaving the game against the Jaguars with concussion-like symptoms. You can watch the video interview below and read the Q & A on the topic.
Van Susteren: A Steelers player just got into a little bit of a problem. He had what seemed like a serious injury on the field. They suspected he might have a concussion, a lot of concern. He made a phone call to his wife and got find $10,000. A lot of people felt bad for him on that.
Goodell: Well, I think, you know, it\’s always a problem with trying to have a rule that applies to everybody. You know, Troy is a wonderful young man and there was concern about his health, and there are ways of us getting word to family when there is an injury and to make sure that they understand the player is OK. But we also don\’t want to have all our players using phones on the sidelines or texting.
Van Susteren: I actually — I sort of thought that it was the team\’s fault. Here you have a guy who obviously his wife is watching, she\’s going to be worried. He got the phone from the team doctor apparently. You would think they would have an intern or somebody who could run back into the locker room and make a phone call and say he\’s all right.
Goodell: I think they do. I think when someone is injured in your family, you want to speak to the individual and you want to hear their voice and you want to make sure they are OK. And that\’s something that probably could have happened by taking him off the field and allowing him access to be able to call his wife.
