ATLANTA -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he expects evidence in the New Orleans Saints bounties case would be made public after all the player appeals and grievances have been heard.

The league's bounty investigation and subsequent fallout were at the center of much of Goodell's public address Tuesday, including the recent defamation lawsuit filed against him by Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma after he suspended Vilma for the 2012 season.

He said at the owners meetings he has "not spent a lot of time" on the lawsuit, in which Vilma contends the commissioner made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.

"I've been around this league for 30 years and you are going to make decisions that will not be unanimous, it just doesn't happen, particularly in a game where there is a lot of emotion, a lot of passion," Goodell said of the lawsuit that also could delay the release of any bounty-related evidence. "What I have to do is what is in best interests of the game long-term.

"You watch Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue, you are part of the decision-making process, and you see how they go about it. You watch other leagues, try to take in every perspective.

"You don't worry about a popularity contest. You can't."

Goodell is not popular in New Orleans these days, nor with the players' union, which has challenged many of his recent decisions with grievances, appeals and through Vilma's suit. On Tuesday, the union said the league making mandatory the use of thigh and knee pads in 2013 was improper and should be collectively bargained.

The players also have asked arbitrators to rule just how much power, if any, Goodell has to punish the Saints for what the league found was a three-year cash-for-pain program that targeted specific players.

"Reality is that it is part of operating in a pretty complex world," Goodell said. "You have to be open about the initiatives you want to take, don't expect all parties to agree, and you have to drive toward solutions. What is good for the game? Pads is part of it."

Asked if he has self-doubts about his decisions, he nodded.

"Sure you second-guess yourself, that is what an appeals process is for," he said. "You want to hear what the players have to say. When we get to the appeals, we will be able to talk about it."