The National Football League confirmed that the...

The National Football League confirmed that the Federal Trade Commission is making preliminary antitrust inquiries into the negotiations that resulted in its new $1.4-billion, three-year television contract.

NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle said that although he had not been contacted directly by the FTC, he had learned about the investigation indirectly.

“I know we didn’t do anything improper,” Rozelle said. “If the FTC wants to talk to us, we’ll be glad to talk to them very candidly about all our negotiations.”