Roger Goodell | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Goodell in 2023 | |
| 6th Commissioner of the NFL | |
| Assumed office September 1, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Tagliabue |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roger Stokoe Goodell (1959-02-19)February 19, 1959 (age 66) Jamestown, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Samuel Skinner (father-in-law) Andy Goodell (cousin) |
| Education | Washington and Jefferson College (BA) |
Roger Stokoe Goodell (born February 19, 1959) is an American businessman who has been thecommissioner of theNational Football League (NFL) since 2006.
Goodell began his NFL career in 1982 as an administrativeintern in the league office in New York under then-CommissionerPete Rozelle.[1] The position was secured through a letter-writing campaign to the league office and each of its then 28 teams.[2][3] In 1983, he joined theNew York Jets as an intern, but returned to the league office in 1984 as an assistant in thepublic relations department.[4][5][6]
In 1987, Goodell was appointed assistant to the president of theAmerican Football Conference,Lamar Hunt, and under the CommissionerPaul Tagliabue filled a variety of football and business operations roles, culminating with his appointment as the NFL's executive vice president and chief operating officer in December 2001. As the NFL's COO, Goodell took responsibility for the league's football operations and officiating, as well as supervised league business functions. He headed NFL Ventures, which oversees the league's business units, including media properties, marketing and sales, stadium development, and strategic planning.[7]
Goodell participated in the negotiation of thecollective bargaining agreement with theNFLPA and NFL owners during thesummer of 2011.[8] He also played a role in league expansion, realignment, and stadium development, including the launch of theNFL Network and securing new television agreements.[7]
Goodell was born inJamestown, New York, on February 19, 1959, toUnited StatesSenatorCharles Ellsworth Goodell ofNew York and his first wife, Jean (née Rice) Goodell, ofBuffalo, New York.[9] Goodell graduated fromBronxville High School where, as a three-sport star infootball,basketball, andbaseball, hecaptained all three teams as a senior and was named the school's athlete of the year.[10] Injuries kept him from playingcollege football.[11] Goodell is a 1981 graduate ofWashington & Jefferson College inWashington, Pennsylvania with aBachelor of Science inEconomics.[12][13][14][7]
When Tagliabue retired, Goodell was one of the candidates in contention for the position.[15] In the second and third ballots, Goodell and Gregg Levy were the only candidates to receive votes (Goodell 17, Levy 14). Goodell increased his lead to 21–10 after the fourth ballot, falling one vote shy of election, but on the fifth round of voting two owners swung their votes to him to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority (Goodell 23, Levy 8).[6] TheOakland Raiders abstained from the voting in each round.
On August 8, 2006, Goodell was chosen to succeed Tagliabue; he assumed office on September 1, the date Tagliabue was required to step down.[16]
Goodell has said that his primary responsibility as commissioner is protecting the integrity of the game and making it safer—"protecting the shield", as he puts it (a reference to the NFL's shield logo).[17] However, some of his actions in this regard have been met with criticism.[18]
In 2014, Goodell was awarded the third highest honor within theDepartment of the Army Civilian Awards scheme, theOutstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the US Army community while working as the NFL commissioner.[19]
The spring leagueNFL Europe, founded in 1995 and since 2004 with five of six teams based in Germany, was shut down by Goodell after the 2007 season. TheNFL International Series began in October 2007 with regular season games in London.
In April 2007, following a year of significant scandal surrounding some NFL players' actions off the field, Goodell announced a new NFL Personal Conduct Policy.Tennessee Titans cornerbackPacman Jones andCincinnati Bengals wide receiverChris Henry were the first two players to be suspended under the new policy,[20] andChicago Bears defensive linemanTank Johnson was suspended months later because of his conduct involving weapon ownership and drunk driving.
On August 31, 2007, Goodell suspendedDallas Cowboys quarterbacks coachWade Wilson for five games and fined him US$100,000 and suspendedNew England Patriots safetyRodney Harrison for four games without pay, after they admitted the use of banned substances for medical purposes and to accelerate healing, respectively. The league indicated to Wilson that his more severe penalty was because they held "people in authority in higher regard than people on the field."[21] Goodell has also imposed suspensions on the following players for conduct:
| Date(s) suspended | Suspension length | Name | Position | Team at the time of suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10, 2007 | Entire 2007 season | Adam "Pacman" Jones[20] | Cornerback | Tennessee Titans |
| First 8 games of 2007 season | Chris Henry[20] | Wide receiver | Cincinnati Bengals | |
| June 4, 2007 | First 8 games of 2007 season | Terry "Tank" Johnson[22] | Defensive tackle | Chicago Bears |
| August 24, 2007 – July 27, 2009 | Suspended for the first two regular season games in the 2009 season and could play by week three of the season. He can play the final two pre-season games. | Michael Vick[23] | Quarterback | Atlanta Falcons |
| October 14, 2008 | Indefinite (ultimately was the minimum of 4 games) | Adam "Pacman" Jones[24] | Cornerback | Dallas Cowboys |
| August 13, 2009 | Entire 2009 Season | Donté Stallworth | Wide receiver | Cleveland Browns |
| April 21, 2010 | First 6 games of 2010 season (later changed to 4 games due to continuous following of the NFL personal conduct guidelines) | Ben Roethlisberger | Quarterback | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| November 29 – December 11, 2011 | Weeks 13 and 14 of 2011 season | Ndamukong Suh[25] | Defensive tackle | Detroit Lions |
| September 7, 2014 – November 2014 | First two weeks of 2014 season plus ten additional weeks (originally two games, then changed to Indefinite following release of the video of the assault which was vacated after 12 weeks)[26][citation needed] | Ray Rice | Running back | Baltimore Ravens |
In addition to suspensions, Goodell has also fined players for on-field misconduct. For example, on October 19, 2010, the NFL handed out fines toPittsburgh Steelers linebackerJames Harrison,Falcons cornerbackDunta Robinson, andNew England Patriots safetyBrandon Meriweather after they were involved in controversial hits the previous Sunday. Goodell released a memo to every team in the league stating that "It is clear to me that further action is required to emphasize the importance of teaching safe and controlled techniques, and of playing within the rules."[27] The NFL's reaction to the hits was itself controversial and Goodell came under criticism from players likeTroy Polamalu, who felt he had assumed too much control and power over punishment towards players and was making wrong decisions.[28]
Two national political advocacy groups, CREDO andUltraViolet have submitted a petition with over 100,000 signatures calling on Goodell and the NFL to "address its domestic violence problem." This came afterRay Rice was suspended for two games when he was accused of assaulting his then fiancée, Janay Palmer, who is now his wife.[29]
On September 13, 2007, Goodell disciplined theNew England Patriots and head coachBill Belichick after New England attempted to videotape the defensive signals of theNew York Jets from an illegal position on September 9. In the aftermath, Belichick was fined the league maximum of $500,000. The Patriots themselves were fined $250,000 and had to forfeit a first round pick in the2008 NFL draft. As part of Goodell's probe into the allegations, the NFL required the Patriots to turn over any and all notes and tapes relating to the taping of opponents' defensive signals. The Patriots did not want the video tapes to leave their facilities, so league officials, by order of Goodell, went to the Patriots' athletic facilities and proceeded to smash the tapes.[30][31] The decision to destroy the tapes was controversial.[32] Goodell said that he had come down hard on the Patriots because he felt Belichick's authority over football operations (Belichick was effectively the Patriots' general manager as well as head coach) was such that his decisions were "properly attributed" to the Patriots as well.[33] Goodell said he considered suspending Belichick, but decided against it because he felt fining them and stripping them of a draft pick were "more effective" than a suspension.[34]
Outside of player conduct, Goodell is also known for his work in the2011 NFL lockout. Prior to the start of the2011 NFL season, Goodell worked withNFL owners and theNFLPA on settling theNFL lockout which ran from March 11 to August 5.[35] During the lockout, at the request of some NFL teams, he held conference calls with season ticket holders where he discussed the collective bargaining agreement and conducted question-and-answer sessions on various NFL topics.[36]
In March 2012, Goodell revealed evidence that players and coaches on theNew Orleans Saints had instituted abounty program in which Saints defensive players were paid bonuses for deliberately knocking opposing players out of games. Then-defensive coordinatorGregg Williams administered the program, and as many as 27 Saints defensive players were involved. Later that month, Goodell handed down some of the harshest penalties in NFL history. He suspended Williams, who had left to become defensive coordinator of theSt. Louis Rams, indefinitely (Williams was reinstated at the start of the 2013 season). Goodell also suspended head coachSean Payton for the entire 2012 season, general managerMickey Loomis for eight games and assistant head coachJoe Vitt for six games. Additionally, the Saints themselves were fined a league maximum $500,000 and had to forfeit their second round draft picks in2012 and2013.[37] Goodell was particularly upset that those involved in the program lied about it during two separate league investigations of the program. Sanctions for players were not handed down at the time, and Goodell stated he would refrain from penalizing players until the NFLPA completed its investigation of the affair.[38]
By June 2012, the league and theNFL Referees Association (NFLRA) had not yet come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, thus failing to resolve a labor dispute. Accordingly, the NFLlocked out the regular NFL game officials and opened the 2012 season with replacement referees.[39][40]
The replacement officials consisted of low-level college and high school officials. None wereDivision I college referees at the time since the league wanted to protect them from union backlash and let them continue working their scheduled games during the concurrent college football season.[41] In addition, many of the top Division I conferences barred their officials from becoming replacements anyway because they employed current and former NFL referees as officiating supervisors.[42][43]
The inexperience of the replacement referees generated criticism by writers and players. Referencing Goodell's aforementioned other actions as commissioner, the NFLPA issued a letter after Week 2 to the owners to end the dispute, saying:
It is lost on us as to how you allow a Commissioner to cavalierly issue suspensions and fines in the name of player health and safety yet permit the wholesale removal of the officials that you trained and entrusted to maintain that very health and safety. It has been reported that the two sides are apart by approximately $60,000 per team. We note that your Commissioner has fined an individual player as much in the name of "safety." Your actions are looking more and more like simple greed. As players, we see this game as more than the "product" you reference at times. You cannot simply switch to a group of cheaper officials and fulfill your legal, moral, and duty obligations to us and our fans. You need to end the lockout and bring back the officials immediately.[44]
TheFail Mary[45] was a direct result of the replacement referees during the 2012 NFL season. During the final play of a Week 2 game between theGreen Bay Packers andSeattle Seahawks that occurred on September 24, 2012, atCenturyLink Field inSeattle, Washington, Packers safetyM.D. Jennings intercepted a pass from Seahawks quarterbackRussell Wilson in the endzone during a botchedHail Mary attempt with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter. However, the replacement referees ruled it a completion and a touchdown. The controversial ending followed weeks of criticism regarding the quality of officiating by replacement officials employed by the NFL during the2012 NFL referee lockout.[46]
Under Goodell's leadership, on August 30, 2013, the NFL reached a $765 million settlement with the former NFL players overhead injuries.[47] The settlement created a $675 million compensation fund from which former NFL players can collect from depending on the extent of their conditions. Severe conditions such asLou Gehrig's disease and postmortem diagnosedchronic traumatic encephalopathy would be entitled to payouts as high as $5 million.[47] From the remainder of the settlement, $75 million would be used for medical exams, and $10 million would be used for research and education.[47] However, in January 2014, U.S. District JudgeAnita B. Brody refused to accept the agreed settlement because "the money wouldn't adequately compensate the nearly 20,000 men not named in the suit".[48] In 2014, the cap was removed from the amount.[49]
After the NFL suspendedNew England Patriots quarterbackTom Brady four games for his alleged awareness of team employees deflating footballs, as indicated in the Wells Report, the NFLPA filed an appeal of his suspension on May 14, 2015.[50] Despite their request for a neutral third party arbitrator, the NFL announced that Goodell would preside over Brady's appeal hearing,[51] which he did on June 23.[52]
Goodell announced his upholding of the suspension on July 28, citing the destruction of Brady's cell phone as critical evidence that Brady "knew about, approved of, consented to, and provided inducements and rewards in support of a scheme by which, with Mr. Jastremski's support, Mr. McNally tampered with the game balls."[53] The same day, the NFL filed papers inManhattan federal court to confirm Goodell's upholding of the suspension.[54] A day after the suspension was upheld, Brady and Patriots ownerRobert Kraft made statements criticizing the league, with Brady stating that he was never "made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline."[55][56]
On August 4, U.S. District JudgeRichard M. Berman ordered the transcript from Brady's appeal hearing released to the public. Writers quickly spotted contradictions between Goodell's statement and Brady's testimony, notably regarding increased phone conversations between Brady and team staffer John Jastremski in the weeks between the AFC Championship Game andSuper Bowl XLIX.Dan Wetzel ofYahoo! Sports pointed out that while Goodell had stated in upholding the suspension that Brady claimed he only spoke with Jastremski about football preparations for the Super Bowl, which would be suspicious if correct due to the increase in communication, Brady had testified in the hearing that other topics, including the alleged deflation, were discussed.[57] The NFL was also criticized for a conflict of interest at the hearing, as one of the lawyers who worked on the Wells Report, Lorin Reisner, cross-examined Brady during the hearing on behalf of the league;Ted Wells' independence in his investigation, as repeatedly asserted by the league, was also put to question, as he testified that NFL counsel Jeff Pash reviewed the report.[58]
Berman vacated Brady's suspension on September 3, citing a lack of fair due process.[59] Analysts criticized Goodell for his violation of due process in order to uphold an extreme punishment and his arrogance in presuming he superseded the NFL's rules. Wetzel stated that "Judge Berman didn't declare Brady innocent on Thursday; he declared the NFL guilty of violating federal law in trying to declare Brady guilty."[60] Michael Hurley of CBS Boston pointed out that the NFL's case was centered on Article 46 of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), but Berman cited Article 46 as evidence that the league had used unfair process.[61]
The NFL announced it would appeal Judge Berman's decision just hours after the suspension was overturned.[62] The appeal hearing was held March 3, 2016.[63] At the hearing the three-judge panel of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit scrutinized Players Association lawyerJeffrey L. Kessler more intensely than NFL lawyerPaul Clement, with Circuit JudgeDenny Chin even stating that "the evidence of ball tampering is compelling, if not overwhelming."[64]
On April 25, 2016, the Second Circuit reinstated Brady's four-game suspension for the2016 NFL season. Circuit JudgeBarrington Daniels Parker, Jr., joined by Circuit Judge Chin, wrote that they could not "second-guess" the arbitration but were merely determining it "met the minimum legal standards established by theLabor Management Relations Act of 1947".[65] Circuit Chief JudgeRobert Katzmann dissented, writing that the NFL's fines for usingstickum were "highly analogous" and that here "the Commissioner was doling out his own brand of industrial justice."[66] On May 21, 2015,The Washington Post published an article that Goodell's efforts to harshly suspend Brady were "part of a personal power play", supporting public claims that he was simply trying to demonstrate authority within the league.[67]
On May 23, 2018, Commissioner Goodell and NFL owners approved a new policy requiring all players to stand during the national anthem or be given the option to stay in the locker room during the national anthem. Any players from an NFL team who protested the anthem while on the field would become subject to discipline from the league. In addition, the teams as a whole would be subject to punishment and other forms of discipline from the NFL as a result.[68][69]
In light of the renewedBlack Lives Matter protests after themurder of George Floyd at the hands ofMinneapolis police, he recanted this position, encouraging players to speak their minds more freely.[70]
On February 3, 2025, Goodell reaffirmed his commitment to efforts atdiversity, equity and inclusion at a press conference, where he said:
I believe that our diversity efforts have led to making the NFL better. It's been attracting better talent. We think we're better. We get different perspectives from people with different backgrounds, whether they're women or men or people of color, we make ourselves stronger, and we make ourselves better when we have that, and it's something that I think will have a tremendous impact on this league for many, many years. We always win on the field with the best talent and the best coaching, and I think the same is true off the field also.[71]
In October 1997, Goodell married formerFox News Channel anchorJane Skinner.[72] They have twin daughters, born in 2001. Goodell has four brothers: among them are Tim, a senior vice president for theHess Corporation, and Michael, married toJack Kenny, creator of the short-lived NBC seriesThe Book of Daniel. The Webster family on the show was loosely based on the Goodell family.[73] Goodell's cousinAndy Goodell was a former Republican party member of theNew York State Assembly and executive ofChautauqua County, New York.
Goodell starred as himself in the NFL 100 commercial beforeSuper Bowl LIII.[74]
NFL refs now serve as supervisors of officials for five major conferences—the Big East, Big 12, Pac-12, Big Ten and Conference USA—and they won't allow officials from those conferences to work NFL games. The source said that, in solidarity with the NFL zebras, supervisors in other FBS conferences won't allow their officials to work NFL games either
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