The NFL commissioner has been rewarded with a contract extension after massively growing revenues, even if his wider impact is muted
Over the past 63 years Americans have known 13 presidents but just three NFL commissioners. Pete Rozelle was the chain-smoking visionary who consolidated pro football into a made-for-TV sport from the 1960s through to the 80s. Paul Tagliabue was the fin-de-siecle pragmatist who expanded the game’s reach and fought for diversity and inclusion. Roger Goodell? He’s the fair-haired political hack with the vise-like grip on the office.
On Wednesday the NFL announced that their top executive had agreed to a contract extension through 2027 – stretching Goodell’s overall tenure, which began in 2006, to at least 21 years. That’s four more than Tagliabue, his former boss and mentor, and nine years longer than Goodell’s own father served in Congress. “Quite simple, honestly” is how the 64-year-old characterized his extension talks with the league’s 32 owners, “just a matter of getting to it, frankly.”
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