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Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh got his meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today, and afterward Goodell had nothing but praise for the player who has been decried by some as dirty. “Ndamukong plays the game with great skill and passion and is a major reason for the Lions’ success this year,” Goodell wrote on…

AP reports Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh will meet with NFL officials during the Lions’ bye week to get a better understanding of the rules he’s been breaking. Detroit’s second-year defensive tackle asked commissioner Roger Goodell for the meeting to talk about all the flags he keeps drawing for roughing up quarterbacks. “To me it’s just an opportunity to go out there and have good dialogue, see what I can take from that meeting,” Suh said after the Lions’ 45-10 win at Denver on Sunday. “If it’s nothing it’s nothing, if it’s something good, then it’s something good.” Suh, the second overall draft pick in 2010, is a passionate player but insists he’s not a dirty one. He’s helped lead the Lions’ rebirth after decades of mostly mediocre seasons, and is a big reason for their new reputation as one of the NFL’s more physical defenses. Asked what the league doesn’t get about him, Suh said, “I have no clue, that’s why we’re having a meeting. I’m not changing my game. My game has gotten me to where I am right now. I’m only planning on building off of things I have accomplished.” The former Nebraska star will meet Tuesday with those NFL staffers responsible for enforcing the rules. The get-together will include football operations consultant Jeff Fisher, along with Ray Anderson, Merton Hanks and Carl Johnson. Suh can bring along a coach if he wants.

AP reports the NFL is considering a plan to have a few teams play regularly in Britain to build an overseas following — part of the league’s evaluation about whether a franchise could be permanently based in London. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday the league is looking into whether such a scenario would “advance our cause here by growing the fan base quicker.” He is talking to several teams about becoming regulars in the British capital, a development he thinks would be “very powerful and lead us to what we ultimately would like to do — have a franchise here in London.” The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making their second trip in three years to Wembley to play the Chicago Bears on Sunday. It is the fifth regular-season game held in London since 2007. The league decided this month to keep playing in London through at least 2016, with an aim to play at least two games a year. Goodell said multiple games in Britain could happen as early as next year, and he hopes more teams will agree to make regular trips.

The National Football Post reports with the United Football League, a proving ground for some young players, in a dire financial situation it appears a potential development system for the NFL is fading away. But the league is exploring the possibility of launching its own developmental league in the spring. That’s when the NFL used to send its brand of ball abroad with NFL Europe, a project that eventually went belly up because it was a money loser for owners. But commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday afternoon at a fan form Q&A at the Landmark Hotel that the idea is being investigated, but that it will not be a commercial venture, meaning there won’t be teams spread across the United States. ‘What we’re evaluating internally is should we have a developmental league?’ Goodell said. ‘I would argue that I would not make commercial. We brought NFL Europe over here it was in part to expose our game to more fans. And that was wonderful. On the other hand, people wanted to see the real thing, whether they are in Europe or in the United States, you want to see real football and the best players playing in competitive games. So, we might consider an additional developmental league that would play likely in the spring, but I don’t think I would make it commercial so I don’t see franchises all over the country. We would probably would hook up in a single location of play. We have people evaluating that and it’s something that long-term would be good for the game.’

At a forum in London on Saturday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have expressed interest in playing an annual “home’’ game overseas. The Bucs are scheduled to “host’’ the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Wembley Stadium. The team previously played in London in 2009. When announcing the passage of a resolution to continue games in London through 2016, league officials said teams will be allowed to volunteer for one game a year in London and also implied they’d like a team to make repeat visits to help create a fan base in the United Kingdom. The Bucs will become the first team to play in London twice in the regular season with Sunday’s game and it sounds like there’s a good chance they’ll be back. “I think they recognize that the growth of the league is important and they’ve been leaders in this area,’’ Goodell said. “I think they want to see the Bucs become a global franchise and I think that’s a great thing for Tampa and a great thing for the NFL.’’ The league has talked about eventually basing a team in London on a permanent basis. Tampa Bay’s willingness to play in London and the fact the team’s owners (the Glazer family) also own the Manchester United soccer team have led to speculation that the Bucs could be a candidate for relocation. But general manager Mark Dominik said earlier this week the Bucs aren’t looking to leave Tampa Bay . I know there are conspiracy theories out there and many point to the team’s struggles to sell out games in Tampa. But I don’t think Dominik was throwing out a smoke screen. Raymond James Stadium is one of the best facilities in the league and the NFL likes having Tampa Bay as a Super Bowl venue. When there was talk of the Bucs leaving in the mid-1990s, the league did its best to make sure that didn’t happen. The Glazers have a lot invested in Tampa Bay. They built One Buccaneer Place with their own money. Team officials have pointed to the economy for the attendance issues. They’ve also said that playing one game in London helps make season tickets more affordable in the short term. Team officials also have said they believe attendance will pick up if the economy improves.

As the NFL prepares for its fifth annual regular-season game in London, Commissioner Roger Goodell met with the media to answer questions, some of which understandably focused on the league’s future in London. “The ultimate goal is to continue to expand our game,” Goodell said, via Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.  “You see from…

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter Thursday to leaders of a congressional committee outlining the league’s plans for collecting and saving blood samples of players in hopes of eventually testing for human growth hormone.

Yes, the NFLPA will be attending Friday’s meeting with Congress aimed at solving the impasse regarding HGH testing.  Given that Representatives Darrell Issa (R-Cal.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and specifically invited NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith to the meeting, both men will be there, right? Wrong. Frederick Hill, Communications Director…

Last month, two members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee invited NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith to attend a meeting for the purposes of discussing the ongoing delay in the implementation of HGH testing.  The league promptly accepted the invitation; the NFLPA was mum on the question of…

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports while everyone is hoping that a decision on whether or not Bengals RB Cedric Benson is going to be suspended, it appears that a decision will not be coming this week. According to a league source, Benson will have his hearing tomorrow in Cincinnati before the National Labor Relations Board in relation to his unfair labor practice charge against the NFLPA. Benson also has a non-injury grievance filed in regards to the suspension. One would think that both things would have to be settled first before Commissioner Roger Goodell could make a final ruling on Benson’s appeal of a three-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy.