NFL Lockout: Roger Goodell Looks to Play Hero as Lockout Nears End

A lot of things have been said about Roger Goodell during his run as NFL Commissioner. The 52-year old head of the NFL has instituted some strict policies against players, has been overly-aggressive in punishments and has even involved himself in situations that no other Commissioner would have involved himself in, but he's all we have, for good or bad.

Some would say he's just doing his job, others, like James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers, despise him for his body of work.

Regardless of your opinion of Goodell, he inherited an insanely popular league just in time to stand in the trenches of it's biggest battle since 1987.

Now, in the spotlight of a potential 10-year CBA finally on the horizon, Roger Goodell is putting on his hero cape and opening up to doing "whatever is necessary" to get a deal done in the next week.

According to ESPN:

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will do "whatever is necessary," including traveling to Washington, where the NFL Players Association's executive committee is scheduled to meet this week, sources said, with the NFL closing in on a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.

The big pieces of the agreement have already been made and now they are just looking to tie up the ends. If the deal is finally ratified, the league year could be begin as early as July 25th, just in time for teams to make their necessary free agency moves and get into training camp without missing a single pre-season game.

Things still remain unresolved - such as Tom Brady's antitrust lawsuit - but sources remain optimistic about everything getting taken care of sooner than later.

Now, I am not applauding Roger Goodell for doing "whatever is necessary" to get the job done, but I am saying that it is about time somebody is doing it.

Granted, and as I already said, things are mostly agreed upon already, but compliance and unquestionable cooperation from Goodell could be the final piece to this lockout puzzle that has gone on long enough already.

This statement of anticipated cooperation from Goodell may be interpreted as him piling onto the back end of deal that is ready to be made, but in the end it doesn't matter as long as there is football on Sundays.

Rachel Weisz Miranda Kerr Sarah Shahi Anna Paquin Diane Kruger