NFLPA chief says players don’t trust Commissioner Roger Goodell

NFL Players’ Assn. President Domonique Foxworth says NFL players don’t trust Commissioner Roger Goodell because of the Saints bounty case.

“It’s pretty obvious that there’s a gap in what would be a reasonable amount of trust,” Foxworth said in a conference call on Wednesday. “There’ve been a number of events to lead players to believe they cannot trust the league.

“There was a bridge beginning to be built and then there were some recent events that kind of broke that bridge again.”

One of the main things that angered players was Goodell appointing former commissioner Paul Tagliabue as an arbiter between the suspended Saints and the league, even though Tagliabue overturned the suspensions of the four players involved.

“When things like that happen,” Foxworth said of Tagliabue’s appointment by Goodell, “it’s hard for our players to believe that the league has their best interests in mind.”

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the union is too focused on the past and not the future.

“Trust is a two-way street,” Aiello said in an email to the Associated Press. “If the union wants to work together to build a better, safer and even more popular game, we extend our hand in partnership and respect. If the union wants to stir up old grievances and create mistrust, we will simply have to do the best we can to serve the interests on the fans, players and the game.”

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