Representatives from the NFL and the NFL Players Association will meet Tuesday to discuss potential changes to the league's personal conduct policy, a source told ESPN.
The meeting will be held in New York City, and both commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith will be in attendance.
The league is having discussions about making changes to the policy in light of the criticism Goodell has received for his handling of several recent cases, most notably the Ray Rice domestic violence case.
The policy was a dominant topic of Wednesday's NFL owners meetings in New York City, and the NFL plans to announce a new personal conduct policy sometime prior to the Super Bowl. The league has solicited outside advice on potential changes and has expressed a desire to get the union's input on the matter.
The union's response to those efforts, according to the source, has been that it's willing to discuss changes to the policy, but that such changes would have to be collectively bargained. What the union wants is for the league to agree to neutral arbitration for appeals of violations of the policy.
Under the current policy, Goodell hands out the initial discipline and also serves as the appeals officer. Several owners at Wednesday's meeting said there was talk about changing that aspect of the policy, removing Goodell from one or both of those roles.
"I don't think we're all the way there yet, but I don't think it's out of the question that there will be some changes on that front," Giants owner John Mara said Wednesday of the commissioner's role in the discipline process.
Goodell has said everything is on the table in this discussion, including his own role, but he didn't sound completely ready to give up his power over the personal conduct policy when he spoke at the conclusion of the meeting Wednesday.
"We've been debating internally for well over a year whether there's a better process," Goodell said. "At the same time, when something affects the integrity of the game, I think it's important for the commissioner to retain that authority."
The union would be agreeable to keeping the policy the same and just replacing Goodell as the appellate officer with a neutral party. The union views the fact that the league agreed to neutral arbitration for Rice's appeal as a positive sign that it may be able to get its wish.