On This Date in Sports August 8, 2006: When the NFL Started to Suck
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
With the retirement of Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the National Football League selects Roger Goodell as his replacement. Goodell began his career with the NFL as an intern in 1982. The son of a Senator from New York, Goodell eventually rose to the position of COO. The vote came down between, Roger Goodell and legal counsel Gregg Levy, with Goodell getting unanimous approval on the fifth ballot.
Roger Goodell was born on February 19, 1959, in Jamestown the son of a Republican Representative and later Senator from New York, Charles E. Goodell. The Goodell family moved to Bronxville, New York, in 1971, after Charles E. Goodell lost a re-election campaign. There Roger graduated from high school as a three-sport star for Bronxville High School in football, basketball, and baseball, Goodell captained all three teams as a senior and was named the athlete of the year at Bronxville High. Roger Goodell would go on to Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1981 with a degree in economics.
After an extensive letter-writing campaign, Roger Goodell got an internship in the NFL league offices in 1982. After a season working with the New York Jets, Goodell returned to the NFL league offices in 1984, working in the Public Relations Department. After three years, he became an Assistant to Lamar Hunt overseeing the AFC. From there Roger Goodell became an assistant to Paul Tagliabue when he was appointed as commissioner in 1989. Over the next decade, Goodell worked a variety of jobs in the league’s business operations before becoming the NFL’s Chief Operating Officer in 2001. As COO, Roger Goodell oversaw a number of the league business ventures and was involved in negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
In the 13 years since Roger Goodell has become commissioner, the NFL has become more popular than ever, as the Super Bowl has annually broken new television viewership records. However, the relationship between the league and the players has become strained. In 2011, the league had a lockout before a new CBA was signed. No games were lost in this labor battle, but indications are the next labor agreement could bring forth a long battle, as the NFL Player’s Association has begun warning players to save for a long labor battle. Much of the trouble between Goodell and the NFLPA has centered around his handling of discipline. Often inconsistent and arbitrary Goodell has acted as Judge, Jury, and Executioner when it comes to fining and suspending players for actions on and off the field.
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Roger Goodell has often fumbled league disciplinary actions. As his initial two-game suspension of Ray Rice blew up in his face after a video of the attack on his wife was released on TMZ. His handling of the New England Patriots “Spygate” scandal did not sit well with other owners, while his four-game suspension of Tom Brady came off as heavy-handed in comparison, making him the target of derision in New England. In addition, he came down hard on the New Orleans Saints, suspending Coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season for giving out a bounty for hits on opposing players. A practice that once was common in the NFL.
Goodell has sought to expand the game internationally as the NFL now plays four annual games in London and has begun playing regularly in Mexico City. However, he often gets embroiled in controversies he seems ill-equipped to handle as he balances, fans’ reaction, players’ reaction, and the needs and wants of the owners. Despite the NFL’s popularity, Roger Goodell’s tenure has often been marked with incompetence as he mishandled the league’s National Anthem policy when it came to players kneeling, trying to play both sides and only ended up making everyone unhappy.
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The biggest flaw with Roger Goodell is how he has a thin skin, as seen in his banning of Dave Portnoy from NFL events, and inflexible as he refuses to allow anyone else says on how he handles league discipline. While the league is more popular than ever, things appear to be crumbling as Goodell has been the worst commissioner the NFL has had in the last 70 years. Despite this, he has gotten record compensation, with his 2019 salary at $35 million.