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Goodell says extra point may get the boot

Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) speaks at a news conference announcing the Head Health Initiative, a collaboration between General Electric (GE) and the National Football League (NFL), in New York March 11, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Segar (Reuters)

(Reuters) - The NFL could eliminate the extra point as part of its scoring system as the kick has become virtually "automatic", Commissioner Roger Goodell has told NFL Network. In an interview aired on Monday, Goodell said the NFL's Competition Committee was looking at proposals to get rid of the short kick that automatically follows a touchdown. "The extra point is almost automatic," Goodell told the NFL Network. "I believe we had five missed extra points this year out of 1,200 some odd (attempts). So it's a very small fraction of the play, and you want to add excitement with every play." One option could be to award seven points for a touchdown instead of six, Goodell said. He did not specify the likelihood of changes to the scoring system or provide a timeline for such a move. (Writing by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Peter Rutherford)