HOUSTON — Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is apologizing for remarks he made decades ago about concussions in football.

In an interview with the Talk of Fame Network that airs nationwide Wednesday night, Tagliabue admitted he erred in 1994 in saying concussions were “one of those pack-journalism issues.” He also claimed then that the number of concussions “is relatively small; the problem is the journalist issue.”

Up for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Tagliabue spoke out Wednesday about a major blemish on a record highlighted by labor peace throughout his 17-year tenure.

“Obviously,” he said, “I do regret those remarks. Looking back, it was not sensible language to use to express my thoughts at the time. My language was intemperate, and it led to serious misunderstanding. I overreacted on issues which we were already working on. But that doesn’t excuse the overreaction and intemperate language.

The anticipation of an awkward moment between NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and key members of the New England Patriots, should they win Super Bowl LI, is one of the dumbest and most irrelevant NFL storylines in history. It takes two willing parties to create such a circumstance, one aggrieved and one guilt-ridden, and we simply don’t have that here and never will.

The Patriots and their fans might well be angry, perhaps incurably so, about the Deflategate investigation that took four games from quarterback Tom Brady while docking the franchise $1 million and a first-round draft pick. Goodell? He made clear Wednesday that he feels not an ounce of guilt for what many objective observers would agree was a conclusion that overshot the verified facts.

Goodell views himself as the winner in a fight for justice and league integrity. As ESPN’s Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham have reported, he was supported by some NFL owners for standing up to the Patriots monolith during the nearly two-year affair. Goodell, in fact, is more likely to feel proud than awkward if he finds himself standing on a stage with Brady, owner Bob Kraft or coach Bill Belichick on Sunday night.

“We had a violation,” Goodell said. “We went through a process. We applied the discipline in accordance with our process. It was litigated, as you know, extensively and validated by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. We’re moving on from that. It’s part of our history, but it’s something we’re comfortable with the process and the decision.”

The Patriots might take umbrage at that otherwise innocuous response, of course. The appeal court upheld Goodell’s authority to draw conclusions about Deflategate, but not the conclusions themselves.

But there is no shaking Roger Goodell on this issue. As frustrating as it might be, the Patriots won’t be sticking it to him or to the league or to anyone else if they win Super Bowl LI. Those arrows will bounce off the armor of a man convinced he did what was right.

“We do our job when there is a violation,” he said. “We apply the process and the discipline and we came to the conclusion that was supported by the facts and by the courts. So from our standpoint, we understand when fans who are loyal and passionate for a team object and don’t like the outcome. I totally understand that. That’s not an issue for me.”

HOUSTON — Roger Goodell has not attended a New England Patriots home game since the NFL handed down penalties to the franchise and quarterback Tom Brady as part of Deflategate but said he’s not avoiding Gillette Stadium.

“If I’m invited back to Foxborough, I will come,” the NFL commissioner said Wednesday at his annual Super Bowl news conference.

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  The NFL is developing a number of changes to its game management procedures in an effort to speed the pace of games and reduce stoppages.

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  The former first couple, recently released from Houston Methodist Hospital, will handle the pregame coin toss at the Super Bowl.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall blames a lack of veteran leadership for the New York Jets’ disappointing season — and he includes himself in that group.

“I don’t think we did a good job, us as leaders in the locker room,” Marshall said Wednesday morning on ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show. “We have to do a better job. It always comes down to the stars, the leadership. It’s on us and we didn’t get it done.”

The 5-11 season was marked by occasional locker room strife. Marshall and Sheldon Richardson were involved in a heated argument after a Week 3 loss, an incident that created “a dark cloud” for the remainder of the season, cornerback Darrelle Revis said at the end of the year.

“I’m not going to sit here and make any excuses and point fingers at younger guys and this or that,” Marshall said. “It comes down to our veterans, the guys who have been in the league six, seven-plus years. We need to do a better job of making sure everyone is in line.”

Coach Todd Bowles is expected to change the chemistry by cutting some high-profile veterans. Marshall, 33, who is due to make a non-guaranteed $7.5 million, is rumored to be on the chopping block.

The Jets are trying to get younger, but they haven’t shut the door on Marshall, sources said. The team is waiting to see how the offseason shakes out before making a decision on the six-time Pro Bowl receiver.

“I’m under contract,” Marshall said. “Until they tell me otherwise, I’m going to continue to present myself as a Jet and try to get [our] team to a Super Bowl.”

Marshall is coming off what he called the worst year of his career – 59 catches, 788 yards and three touchdowns. That, combined with an uncertain quarterback situation, didn’t stop him from an outrageous prediction for 2017.

“I promise you, I’ll be in the top five [among receivers],” Marshall said on ESPN’s “First Take.”

Marshall refused to speculate on who might be throwing him the ball, a departure from last offseason. He lobbied publicly for the team to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose contract dispute with the team lasted until late July.