Speaking after testifying before a House subcommittee Tuesday about a legal case involving two Minnesota Vikings players, Goodell told The Associated Press he would be present for Wednesday's talks in New York about a new collective bargaining agreement.

Goodell has not attended all of the sessions the league and union have held so far.

The NFL opted out of the collective bargaining agreement last year, although the contract won't expire until after the 2010 season. That season will not have a salary cap under the current CBA, and Smith has said he hopes to have an agreement before then.

The old contract was negotiated in 2006 by then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue and then-union head Gene Upshaw, who passed away last year.