The verdict: What they’re saying
The obvious move here is that the NFL cannot turn the page on #DV until Roger Goodell is gone. That was embarrassing.
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) January 30, 2015
Goodell's presser is over. Thought he came off better in general than after the Ray Rice debacle this fall.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 30, 2015
And that's it for Goodell. He got the news he wanted out in his open. Not a ton of info beyond that. He was more contrite this time.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 30, 2015
Francesa on Goodell presser: "a colossal, total waste of time."
— Neil Best (@sportswatch) January 30, 2015
Goodell's presser is done. Little we didn't know already aside new health czar, but this format rarely has any news. Just sidestepping.
— Rick Snider (@Snide_Remarks) January 30, 2015
"I'm available to the media almost every day of my job professionally." Goodell has rejected every interview request I've made since 2012.
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) January 30, 2015
Every Roger Goodell press conference pic.twitter.com/ELVm1gr6qF
— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 30, 2015
That’s it from Goodell after nearly 50 minutes.
More on the NFL’s interests in the UK: “London has done not only everything we’ve expected but more. ... You can see the passion, the understanding of the game. ... We’re continuting to advance our interests over there by playing more games there. ... Their passion is obvious. We want to continue to respond to that fan interest.”
Goodell on Deflategate: “Whether a competitive advantage was gained is secondary, in my mind, to whether that rule was violated.”
Goodell addresses Richard Sherman’s criticism of the commissioner’s friendship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft as a conflict of interest, saying he won’t hide the friendship just to curtail the appearance of impropriety.
“I was at the Kraft’s residence along with season ticket holders, sponsors, media partners, as a part of an AFC Championship party,” he says. “I was there as part of a program with our partner CBS. It’s not unusual for me to work closely with our owners.
“I’m not going to do anything to compromise the integrity of the league.”
Goodell says he’s unsure if the NFL will get to its articulated goal of #25 billion in revenue by 2027 but it’s still a hope.
Throwaway softball on why Goodell chose Arizona for the Super Bowl, followed by a question on whether he thinks Deflategate has taken attention away from the game. Goodell only addresses the first part.
New York Times reporter asks Goodell whether he thinks he deserves a pay cut for his performance this year: “That’s up to the owners. They evaluate my performance, they evaulate my compensation every year. I don’t argue.”
Goodell reportedly earns $44 million in annual salary.
Sky Sports reporter asks question about early kickoffs and long-term prospects of a team in London. A response thin on concretes: “We’re going to continue to try and give them more football which is what they want.”
Could Las Vegas sustain a professional sports team?
“I haven’t had any dialogue with officials in Las Vegas on how that could happen successfully for Las Vegas or the NFL,” Goodell says.
Goodell now fielding a question from the Play60 Super Kid, acting as a child reporter: “How do you Play 60?”
A public service announcement has apparently broken out.
Asked to characterize his relationship with the NFL’s players: “There’s close to 3,000 players at every given time in the NFL,” Goodell says. “We are not going to agree on every matter but no one has more respect for the players, what they do in our communities, what they do on the field.”
Rachel Nichols asked pointed question about NFL’s conflict-of-interest issues as pertains to investigations like Deflategate. Goodell says people enlisted by NFL (including Ted Wells) have “impeccable integrity” and that league has done excellent job of bringing in outside consultants.
Goodell asked about Mexican market and why league hasn’t hosted a regular-season game there since 2005. Says they want to get back there ASAP, but factors including stadium availability have prevented it.
Goodell calls it a “tough year on me personally,” but he says he sees no circumstance in which he would resign or be fired. “Where we were in August, is not where we are today. We’re in a good place. ... We’ve all done a lot of soul-searching starting with yours truly”.
He says league’s personal conduct policy represents “enormous progress”. Twice uses word “humility”.
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Goodell asked about Marshawn Lynch: “I’ve been very clear that when you’re inthe NFL you have an obligation, an obligation to the fans. It is part of our job. And there are things we don’t like to do in our jobs.”
Commisioner says he doesnt know if Lynch will be fined for wearing an unauthorized hat.
Another question about the Rams’ prospective move to Los Angeles. Goodell stresses the league’s relocation policy and that all relocations must be voted on by the owners: “There have been no determinations of us going to Los Angeles, any particular team going to Los Angeles. There are teams that are interested that are trying to work out their issues locally.”
Asked about Patriots owner Bob Kraft’s demand for an apology if New England is exonerated in Deflategate, Goodell says: “This is my job. ... We will [investigate] it vigorously. We will be thorough and fair.”
“We want all of our franchises to stay in their current markets,” says Goodell. “That’s a shared responsibility.”
Goodell asked two-point question about NFL’s commitment to keeping a team in St. Louis.
Goodell says NFL will aggressively examine possibility of streaming games over the top NFL channels.
Updated
Goodell addresses Deflategate. Says joint investigation with independent investigator Ted Wells will focus on two questions: 1) why some footballs outside of league regulations were used and 2) was this a result of a deliberate actions. Says Goodell: “We have made no judgments on these points and we will not compromise the investigation by engaging in speculation.”
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Goodell addresses prospect of expanding playoffs. Says concerns includes diluting importance of regular season.
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Goodell says the NFL is naming a chief medical officer to oversee medical-related policies, work with medical committees and the NFLPA.
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Goodell opening with remarks on progress on player health front, noting that hits to defenseless receivers were down 68% this season. Concussions down also.
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Goodell at the podium ahead of schedule.
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Bryan will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Paolo Bandini on this weekend’s game:
Super Bowl XLIX is upon us, and on paper it looks like a doozy. Then again, we said something similar at this time last year.
For the second consecutive season we have a title game featuring the top seeds from either conference. It is a curious quirk of history that such match-ups have tended not to produce close games. The average margin of victory in Super Bowls contested by two No1 seeds stands at 21.5 points. Only once in 10 such encounters has the game been decided by one touchdown or less.
Should we brace ourselves, then, for another blowout in Glendale? Perhaps, but if so it is hard to imagine which team would be on the receiving end. The Patriots have suffered one humiliating rout already this season, beaten 41-14 by the Chiefs at the end of September, but since then they have lost just twice – by five points to the Packers at Lambeau Field and then while resting a great number of starters against the Bills in week 17.
