Could NFL owners change Roger Goodell's discipline role for players?

In the wake of the NFL's big loss in court to Tom Brady, some NFL owners might be open to a change in commissioner Roger Goodell's role in handling player discipline.

According to the Washington Post, one NFL owner said that “there will certainly be discussion" about whether Goodell should retain final say on disciplinary matters, or if some of his power could be reduced, but added that he's "not sure where [that discussion] will lead."

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Keeping the status quo could lead the NFL back to court in other cases, with players and the NFLPA emboldened by Thursday's ruling in favor of Brady. Keeping these matters out of court, it would appear based on the league's recent record in cases against the union, might be the best way for the NFL to save face and avoid massive public defeats.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank already came out following the Brady ruling to admit that "change may be appropriate" in terms of Goodell's disciplinary reach, which sounds less like a concession to the union and more like an owner that hates the league suffering a major loss.

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As things stand now, Goodell is enacted the power under the CBA to hear cases and resolve appeals related to integrity-of-the-game matters and those aligned with violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. But now Goodell and the league have lost cases on both front, as with Brady/deflate-gate in the former and the cases of Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice and Greg Hardy to the latter.

Will owners en masse be open to change? Will Goodell and the NFL, which is appealing the Brady ruling, remit to an altered structure? That's unclear, but it does sound as if those matters will be discussed — perhaps as early as the league's fall meeting with the owners Oct. 6 and 7 in New York City. And perhaps it leads to a better disciplinary system where matters are resolved before an independent chair and not all the way in court.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm