Roger Goodell: If I had son, I'd 'love' to have him play football

SAN FRANCISCO -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that if he had a son, he would "love to have him play the game of football" despite various concerns about concussions and other safety-related issues.

Goodell, speaking Friday at his annual Super Bowl week news conference, said the NFL has "made great progress" in the area of concussions by way of rule changes and improving equipment.

"From my standpoint, I played the game of football for nine years, through high school. I wouldn't give up a single day of that," Goodell said. "If I had a son, I'd love to have him play the game of football. I'd love to have him play the game of football because of the values you get.

"There's risk in life. There's risk sitting on the couch. What we want to do is get people active. I want them to experience the game of football because the game of football will teach you the values ... the discipline, the teamwork, the perseverance. Those are values and those are skills that will lead you through life, and I believe football is the best to teach that."

Goodell addressed a variety of topics Friday, including the future of the Pro Bowl, the league's stance on medical marijuana, his recommendation to eject players for multiple personal fouls and the potential relocation of the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

Goodell said he didn't like what he saw in last weekend's Pro Bowl, saying that the game is not at the level of quality that the NFL would like to see. When asked whether the NFL would consider canceling the Pro Bowl, Goodell said the league still needs a way to showcase its talent.

"If it's not quality, we have to do something different," Goodell said.

Goodell also pledged "to do everything possible" to help the Raiders and Chargers work to get new stadiums in their current markets.

"The league supports both of these teams, but we are working very hard with not only the teams but the communities to try to find a solution that works for everybody," he said. "This has to work for the communities, and it has to work for the teams long term."

The Ramshave moved to Los Angeles from St. Louis starting in the 2016 season. The Chargers will play in San Diego in 2016 but have an option to join the Rams at a new stadium being built in Inglewood if the city and team can't work out a deal.

The Raiders also wanted to move to Los Angeles but could look at other cities if they can't make a stadium deal with Oakland.

"I think it's great that Dean Spanos and his family said, 'We want to make this work in San Diego,'" Goodell said. "They have an incredibly attractive option in Los Angeles but they decided, 'We're going to go and try to make this work in San Diego,' and we will do everything we can to support that. The same's true for [Raiders owner] Mark Davis. Mark Davis has a lot of options."

Goodell also said he has spoken to the competition committee, many members of the league and players that he believes "the league should pursue a policy where if there are two personal fouls in a game there's an automatic ejection of the player."

"I believe that's consistent with what we believe are the safety issues, but I also believe it's consistent with what we believe are the standards of sportsmanship," Goodell said.

That discussion largely stemmed from when New York Giants star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. was penalized three times for unnecessary roughness in a December game against eventual NFC champion Carolina, including a late helmet-to-helmet hit against a defenseless player. He was suspended for a game, appealed and lost.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.