clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Your New NFL Commish: Roger Goodell

By Shrug

ESPN reports Roger Goodell has won the post of NFL Commissioner, after 5 voting rounds, by the league's owners.

Goodell had been the favorite for the post for a few weeks, and in recent days started to pull apart from the pack. He was the NFL's chief operating officer and exec vice president since December 2001, acting as president of NFL Ventures Inc., and overseeing the league's football operations and officiating departments. (Yes, officiating. Settle, Seattle fans... now, now, settle. Don't make me get Jon Stewart down here.)

ESPN also has a concise timeline of Goodell's NFL career. And on NFL.com, senior analyst Pat Kirwan says Goodell's the right man:

He has been involved in the inner workings of the league for such a long time that he finally deserves his shot to steer the ship. As one owner said to me, "He has the intellect to do this job."

Can he see the future of the game? Does he realize the unlimited potential of how this game can best be delivered via the media to the fans? Does he have the same passion for the grass-roots programs like youth football that Tagliabue had during his tenure? My experience with Goodell tells me that the answer is yes... Goodell is young enough to take on the rigors of the job and see it through. As another general manager said to me, "The new commissioner is at least a 10-year commitment and Goodell has the energy for it"...

(I)f the NFL owners hadn't voted Goodell into the top spot, their decision may well be questioned as the league moved on into 2007 and beyond. With Goodell, there will be some changes in the league office, which is only natural, and is probably a good thing. One other benefit is that he will always have the ability to call his mentor, Tagliabue, for advice, and no one can put a value on that relationship...

If the league was in bad shape... then it would have been time to go in a different direction. But in 2006, that is definitely not the case and that is why Roger Goodell was elected the NFL's fourth commissioner.

Goodell is also the "point man" for the NFL's efforts to finally replant a team in the Los Angeles area, and they're eager to have that drive continue uninterrupted. Why, I don't know, since the #2 market in the country doesn't seem to even remember having the Rams. I think they remember the Raiders, since you see a lot of Oakland merchandise down there.

But otherwise, it looks like Goodell will more or less take up where his pal Paul Tagliabue left off, and to be honest, that's not bad at all. Tagliabue himself was a close crony of Pete Rozelle, the man who turned football into America's most-loved game. So Goodell looks like a solid chip off the ole block.

I did not place in the voting. I was at lunch.

More From Field Gulls