A group of APSE sports editors met in April in New York with commissioners from the four major sports leagues, plus the NHL and Major League Baseball players associations, NASCAR, U.S. Track and Field and the United States Olympic Committee. Here's what they had to say.

In a wide-ranging breakfast meeting on draft day at Madison Square Garden, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his staff tackled a number of issues on everything from Maurice Clarett to diversity hiring practices to Monday Night Football.

Here is a sampling from the discussion:

On the death of former Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman in a firefight in Afghanistan: He was unique as a person, unique as an athlete in what he did. It makes you think about all the other men and women doing the same thing without the celebrity.

AP Maurice Clarett challenged the NFL.

On the NFL Draft becoming a big event: It's not surprising that there's a tremendous interest in all the talent that comes together for the draft. You've got college football fans who are passionate and NFL fans who are passionate.

On the Maurice Clarett case: We are absolutely confident that we'll win. I've been saying that from the beginning. ... It's not as if we just threw something up there that was arbitrary. Studies have shown that the longer a player stays in college, the longer his NFL career will be. We want to keep young athletes focused on academics.

On Eli Manning not wanting to play for the San Diego Chargers: We're trying to make sure every team is a good opportunity. Going to Team A vs. Team X shouldn't be that big of a deal. In four years, they can be a free agent anyway — that's part of the system.

On diversity hiring practices in the NFL: We think we have had an impact with our mandatory interview requirements. Owners are forced to consider a deep, diverse pool of coaches. The Diversity Committee is identifying coaching candidates, and we have a broad pool of people to consider.

On steroids in sports: Fans won't cheer for people they don't respect. People need to respect athletes. ... Our policy is clear. That's what separates us from the other leagues. We're just making sure we don't get painted with that same broad brush.

On no NFL team in Los Angeles: We need to be in LA — not just for business. The whole state has a great interest in football. Not having a team there is unacceptable.

On print vs. TV: Our priority is to the beat writers in the locker rooms. The NFL Network will carry the postgame press conferences — that's all they're doing now at games. We think 24-hour a day coverage is positive for everybody's access.

On the Janet Jackson incident at the Super Bowl: We all learned a lesson in life.

— Celeste Williams
Fort Worth Star-Telegram