Commissioner Roger Goodell is holding his annual

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There are other issues as backdrops for Goodell’s news conference Wednesday near the site of Sunday’s meeting between New England and Philadelphia.

The league recently announced a player-owner committee to address causes of social justice in the wake of player protests involving the national anthem. The nickname issue involving the Washington Redskins is likely to come up again after baseball’s Cleveland Indians decided this week to remove the Chief Wahoo logo in 2019.

Goodell signed a contract extension in December that runs into 2024. The deal was a source of conflict between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the six owners on the committee in charge of negotiating the extension.

Jones threatened to scuttle the contract , but denied his opposition to the deal was related to Goodell’s decision to suspend star Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games.

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The Atlanta Falcons have established a long and proud history since joining the National Football League in 1965. Since the turn of the millennium, the team has experienced a roller coaster of success and turmoil, but always seems to be able to "Rise Up" when times get too dreadful. Currently , the Falcons are one of the "it" teams in the NFL and will represent the NFC in the upcoming Super Bowl LI against the legendary Tom Brady led New England Patriots.A win would mean so much to the city of Atlanta. It would help erase the hurt that occurred when Michael Vick was arrested and charged with running a dog-fighting ring. It would establish Matt Ryan as being a true franchise quarterback, capable of winning the biggest of big games. And it would be a significant time for a major city, brimming with diversity to come together as one to support their beloved Dirty Birds.With that in mind , this list reflects on the Falcons franchise since the year 2000. It provides insight on who the best players have been since that time, while also calling out several of the worst. The players mentioned here were either all-time greats for the Falcons (best), or were frustratingly unable to live up to their expectations (worst). In that regard , some of the worst players mentioned here were not terrible players, but they hurt the franchise by not fulfilling their true potential. As the Falcons prepare for Super Bowl LI, let's take a look into the brief past to find out who were/are the best 8 and 7 worst Falcons players since the year 2000.