NFL Commssioner Roger Goodell, speaking in Fort Lauderdale, says he doesn’t see a need to institute a draft lottery to maintain competitive balance.

FORT LAUDERDALE — Addressing a news conference where the local NFL team is 0-5, has a stripped-down roster and fans are popularizing the “TankforTua” hashtag, league Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday afternoon that he doesn’t believe tanking is an issue in pro football.

“The good news for us is we don’t see that,” Goodell said in response to a question on whether tanking by any club would convince him a draft lottery is necessary.

The league’s two-day winter meeting concluded Wednesday with topics of discussion centering on officiating and a collective bargaining agreement but not a whisper about the need for a lottery.

Despite losing last weekend by a point, the Dolphins have been defeated by an average of 27.6 points this season. They’ve been double-digit underdogs in a league in which most point spreads are within a touchdown. Their opponents Sunday, the Buffalo Bills, are favored by 16 1/2 points on some books. Plus, the Dolphins have lost key players including left tackle Laremy Tunsil and last year’s first-round pick, Minkah Fitzpatrick, with the return being future draft picks, not help for the 2019 season.

A segment of fans is clamoring for the Dolphins to finish last in the league and secure the top overall pick, presumably to spend it on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. That kind of forward-thinking among non-contenders is why other leagues have instituted draft lotteries, with the NBA going so far as to tinker with its weighted lottery multiple times to further discourage teams from kissing off the current season.

“We’re obviously well aware of that,” Goodell said. “It’s been discussed over the years. I can remember that being discussed 20 or 30 years ago.

“I think from our standpoint we find the draft to be successful on many fronts. One, the competitive side. But also the event itself has grown dramatically.

“So it’s not under consideration. It hasn’t been raised by either the committees or the clubs at this stage.”

Club owners agreed.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, a part-time Palm Beach resident, said it hasn’t been discussed, although he conceded “it could go either way” if a push came up in the future.

Giants owner John Mara said, “I don’t see a need for that right now. It’s something that really has never been discussed and I’d be very surprised if we ever went to that scenario.”

In a league that prides itself on parity, competitive balance is vital to the product the NFL sells.

“I don’t think the league’s ever been more competitive than it is today,” Goodell said. “You see that in teams going last to first in dramatic fashion. I think that’s unique to the National Football League. I think we’ve had 16 out of 17 years where that’s happened.

“And so for us, the competitiveness to our game is obviously critical. I don’t think that’s solved with a lottery. I think that’s solved by all the other issues we try to deal with on a regular basis through the Competition Committee.”

hhabib@pbpost.com

@gunnerhal

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