Plenty of topics for Goodell to address at news conference

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s news conference. (all times EST.)

12:45 p.m.

Commissioner Roger Goodell is about to take questions at his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference.

Some of the topics expected to come up include the NFL’s minority hiring program, the new pass-interference review rule that caused confusion this season and the possibility of adding a 17th regular-season game.

TV ratings rose by 5 percent for the second straight season, and the focus this year was more on the games than the off-field troubles that had hammered the league in recent seasons.

Still, there are issues.

Among them are player safety in an era of increased awareness about concussions, and the fact that Colin Kaepernick remains without a job.

Also lurking are the league’s negotiations with the players union on a collective-bargaining agreement that expires after next season. But the sides are thought to be closer now than the previous time they reached this point, back in 2010.