Roger Goodell
Roger Goodell
Roger Stokoe Goodellis the Commissioner of the National Football League. Goodell was chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. He was chosen over four finalists for the position, winning a close vote on the fifth ballot before being unanimously approved by acclamation of the owners. He officially began his tenure on September 1, 2006, just prior to the beginning of the 2006 NFL season. Commentators have described him as "the most powerful man in sports." Before...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusiness Executive
Date of Birth19 February 1959
CityJamestown, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I don't want players coming in from the college level that are either trying to avoid a suspension, declare themselves ineligible on their own, hire an agent and decide, 'I'm going to enter into the NFL.'
What is true of the NFL is that it has been well-managed over the years. And that has been beneficial to the fans, it's been beneficial to the game itself, it's been beneficial to the players, coaches and everyone involved.
We think it's doable, ... We think this is going to be a great opportunity for us to understand more about playing a game internationally.
When you're talking about a trade you're saying, 'Is it good for this team or that team, did they give up too much?' That kind of debate is great for the game.
We have such great interest. We have a great fan base in Mexico. It's been growing dramatically over the last several years, and we're responding to that interest. It's going to be a great opportunity to understand more about playing a game internationally.
The draft is one of my favorite events because it is about football. People are focused on how their teams improve. It's a celebration of football. And most importantly, it represents a very important time in the lives of these men who are entering the NFL, and their families.
When you're thrust into litigation, you obviously have to make sure you're prepared to deal with that.
To me, what I love about the draft is; first, you see the young men who are realizing their dreams that they've worked so hard for. That's a pretty cool thing. You saw the emotion from some of these guys the other day. And then, the second thing is this total sense of hope and optimism. And, I think that's great for everybody.
We will always make sure player health and safety is our No. 1 priority in the NFL.
Too much of our society looks for people to fail.
The way you continue to be a successful business is you don't wait for the car to go off the cliff. You have to manage yourself. And make sure you do it in the right way so you are not making decisions in crisis.
You do not have to be convicted or even charged of a crime to be able to demonstrate that you've violated a personal conduct policy, and reflect poorly not only on themselves, but all of their teammates, every NFL player in the league, and everyone associated with the NFL.
There are lots of businesses that are well in excess of $9 billion that have gone into bankruptcy, that have been mismanaged. And that has not served anyone very well.
The NFL clearly is making an investment in this because we believe it's the right thing to do,