Category: Roger Goodell

NFL season about to begin: How did Commish Roger Goodell address it?

Here’s what Commissioner Roger Goodell said about the impending NFL season.

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

With news of positive COVID reports from the Marlins in Florida, and signals that the MLB season may be in the balance of being canceled, one wonders, including Mark Schofield, what will happen with the still-planned NFL season. Sheesh, who knows at this point about much when it comes to sports and its seasons.

But the NFL is going to give it a go and here’s what Commissioner Roger Goodell has to say about the impending season:

This week training camps across the country are starting and before we know it, the NFL season will be here. This is always the most optimistic time of year for our fans, and for all 32 teams. In a year that has been extraordinarily difficult for our country and the world, we hope the energy of this moment will provide some much-needed optimism.

In the months since the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, we have navigated the time carefully, thoughtfully and in partnership with the NFL Players Association with a shared goal of playing a healthy and complete 2020 season. This process has not been easy – COVID-19 will continue to present a major challenge to nearly every area of American life. Football is no exception.

Every step of the way, our focus has been on the safety of players, coaches, personnel, fans and our communities. Our planning has followed the lead of medical experts and public health officials, including the CDC, the White House Task Force, governors and state health officials. As we have developed our 2020 playbook for the return of football, safety continues to be our first priority; that commitment will remain paramount as players return to the field.

The NFL in 2020 will not look like other years. Players and coaches will be tested for the virus regularly, including every day for a while. Preseason games have been canceled. Everyone in the team environment must follow rigorous health and safety protocols to keep themselves and each other safe. When there is a positive test, strict regulations will be enforced to isolate and care for that individual and to contain the virus before it spreads. Even the sideline will look different. And, state and local health guidelines will help determine whether fans will attend the games. These adjustments are necessary to reduce the risk for everyone involved.

Thanks to the collaboration of the players and a lot of hard work from our clubs, especially their medical and training staffs, our plans are in place for the 2020 season. Have a look inside the Rams training facility for some of these plans in action.

Adaptability and flexibility will be needed for the foreseeable future. After all, even the best game plan changes as new challenges arise. This year’s NFL Draft is a good example that embracing change can still deliver the fun and excitement we all crave.

While this year will forever be defined by a heartbreaking global pandemic and a transformative social justice movement, I am reminded of the tenacious, resilient spirit of our country, the NFL community, and you, the greatest fans in the world. Thank you for your continued support.

Now let’s play football,

Roger Goodell

NFL commits $250M over 10-year period to combat systemic racism

After reading that headline, some cynics would say, “Wow. How in the world will the NFL ever be able to afford that?” Well, look, at least it’s another sign that the NFL is taking the deeply serious issues related to George Floyd’s death and the …

After reading that headline, some cynics would say, “Wow. How in the world will the NFL ever be able to afford that?”

Well, look, at least it’s another sign that the NFL is taking the deeply serious issues related to George Floyd’s death and the aftermath: Kneeling (or not) during the national anthem, respecting the flag (or not), and Roger Goodell’s seemingly genuine (or not) admission that the league was wrong for “not listening to NFL players earlier” and him finally (or not) going against President Trump’s wishes.

Goodell’s remarks sounded like he was talking about Colin “Black Lives Matter” Kaepernick, even though Goodell never mentioned Kaepernick by name.

NFL.com columnist Judy Battista breaks it down here:

“The NFL, which first began a social justice program after players protested police brutality and racial injustice several years ago, announced Thursday it will commit a quarter of a billion dollars over 10 years to a fund to combat systemic racism and support the battle against injustices faced by African Americans.

For a league that was roiled when Colin Kaepernick first took a knee in protest nearly four years ago — and which has seen players be the target of attacks from elected officials, including the president, who sought to conflate the protests with disrespect for the flag and military — the contributions are a significant step toward backing players, and immerse the league in an issue that has galvanized Americans in protest for nearly three weeks since the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

One person familiar with the league’s program even said the league would be willing to work with Kaepernick on social justice initiatives.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the work Colin and other players have led off,” the person said. “That is a key point here. We listened to our players. We needed to listen more, we needed to move faster. We heard them and launched a social justice platform because of what Colin was protesting about. The players have always been an essential piece of this effort and this campaign. It would be awesome to engage Colin on some of the work we are doing. He’s doing real impactful work. Getting him in some way would be amazing for us. There’s a lot of work to do to get to that point. We’re certainly open and willing to do that.”

Even before last week’s videos and today’s announcement, the league had donated $44 million to its social justice programs. That money had funded 20 national social justice grant partners and made matching contributions to 350 local grassroots organizations identified by players and former players. Now, that fund will balloon to $250 million in all, with the league working with players to identify and work with programs that address criminal justice reform, police reform and economic and educational advancement for African Americans.

The person familiar with the league’s decision said conversations had taken place over the last week, with Goodell and owners wanting to make it clear that the league’s commitment to social justice work was for the long term. The expanded commitment to the league’s existing initiatives, said the person familiar with the program, should make clear that the NFL does not have an end date in sight for how long it will work on social justice causes.

“There was just a real desire to put another stake in the ground and say, we’re not done here yet,” the person said. “There is so much more work to do and this is not a short term problem we can fix in the next couple of years.”

As has been the mantra for almost everyone these days, regarding almost everything these days and what we can expect in the coming months: “We’ll see, we’ll see.”