Hours before Super Bowl XLVII, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared on CBS’ “Face The Nation” and discussed a number of hot topics involving the game of football.

First, in regards to remarks made earlier this week by President Barack Obama, Goodell said he “absolutely” would let one of his children play organized football, according to CBSNews.com.

The president said in an interview last weekend in The New Republic that he would be hesitant to allow his son — if he had one — to play football because of the long-term health and safety issues.

“I have twin daughters, just like the president, and I’m concerned when they play any sport,” Goodell said in New Orleans, in a special Super Bowl edition of the show. “The second-highest incidents of concussions is actually (in) girls’ soccer. So what you have to do is make sure the game is as safe as possible.”

Goodell said there is no brain damage cover-up in pro football, Reuters reported.

“In fact, we’re all learning more about brain injuries, and the NFL has led the way,” Goodell said. …

“We started a concussion committee back in the mid-1990s with the players association to study these issues and to advance science,” Goodell said. “We’re obviously learning more and more and we’re investing more and more, and I think that is going to lead to answers.”

Goodell added he is optimistic about the future of football. He doesn’t expect it to become extinct in 30 years as Baltimore Ravens defensive back Bernard Pollard predicted last week, according to CBSSports.com.

“Through the years, through the decades, we’ve made changes to our game, to make it safer, to make it more exciting, to make it a better game for the players, for the fans, and we have done that in a very calculated fashion,” he said.

– Bill Bradley, contributing editor