A source with knowledge of the discussions between the NFL’s Competition Committee and Commissioner Roger Goodell tells us that the league’s influential rule-making (or, more accurately, rule-proposing) body has told Goodell that they want the situation involving Matt Walsh’s knowledge regarding possible cheating of the New England Patriots to be resolved.

The source explains that the pressure that the Competition Committee has placed on the Commish resulted in the sense of frustration displayed in Goodell’s recent remarks regarding the status of efforts to get to the bottom of what Walsh knows (or thinks he knows).

Specifically, Goodell said on Wednesday that he’ll eventually run out of patience with the protracted discussions.  And Goodell wouldn’t rule out taking legal action against Walsh in order to force him to talk.

Since there’s no specific legal action that could be used to compel Walsh to speak, the strategy likely would be the filing of a defamation lawsuit by the Patriots against Walsh and/or the Boston Herald, which reported on February 2 (presumably with Walsh as its source) that the Pats videotaped the St. Louis Rams’ walk-through practice prior to Super Bowl XXXVI.

The negotiations between Walsh’s lawyer and the league have bogged down over the question of whether Walsh will receive immunity from civil actions.  At first, Walsh suggested that his tongue was tied by a confidentiality agreement.  There have been multiple reports, however, that no such agreement existed.