NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pays a visit to Peanut and Roman on the latest episode of the NFL Players: Second Acts podcast. Roman starts out sharing how he and other players reacted to the commissioner getting the top job. In a stunning revelation, the commissioner tells the guys how in 1984 he almost took a job with the New York Jets coaching staff after interning with the team. He also shares his welcome to the commissioner moment, and how it was a “holy s**t” experience. And Mr. Goodell takes us inside the “grueling” voting process that led to him becoming the league’s top leader. He shares his thoughts on the “Taylor Swift Effect” of NFL fandom this season and gives us insight to his Super Bowl watching habits (hint: he comes with a pen and paper). Hear what the commissioner says when Peanut and Roman ask him about the league’s efforts to support NFL legends. And the commissioner shares who is on his personal Mount Rushmore.
0:00 – start of episode
1:11 – Roger Goodell introduction
2:31– Roman says nobody knew who Goodell was when he became commissioner, commissioner talks about his start in the league, and his way to becoming commissioner
5:26 – Goodell talks about being offered a job by the Jets as a defensive asst.
7:32– Goodell on what his welcome to the NFL moment was as commissioner, and the first time it hit him he was in the job
9:12 – Goodell on the process to get the top job
11:08 – Roman asking him about the first time he met the commissioner in New Orleans after the Saints first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina
13:11 – Goodell talks about the NFL returning after the September 11th attacks
13:39– Roman asks Goodell about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
16:42– Goodell talks about getting booed, and leaning into it
17:52 – Goodell on who he’s picking for the Super Bowl, and what he roots for during the game
19:07 - Goodell talks about John Madden
21:51 – Peanut asks Goodell about his knee injury, and his transition to his second act
25:48 - break 2
27:04– Roman asks Goodell about how the league is supporting former players
33:21 – Goodell gives his personal Mount Rushmore
35:47 – Goodell is asked about his personal Mount Rushmore of NFL players
*NOTE: Time codes are approximate
The NFL Players: Second Acts podcast is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Radio.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The next day, I got to the office and we
went down and they asked me come down to the
cafeteria and I did, and they handed me a football.
My name was on and I looked at that, and
that blew me away. Oh that just blew me away
when I when I saw that, that was that was
my holy shit moment we allowed to say that on that.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh yeah, yeah, you're good, You're good. Damn right. Thank
you for tuning in. I'm peanuts to me and this
is the NFL Player's second act podcast and with me
as always, I got this guy over here. He's nothing
without on me, but he's better with me. What's up, baby,
(00:41):
Roman Harbor, that's my guy. I agree with you. I agree.
I totally agree with you. First and foremost.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Let me just go ahead and say this now, because
I don't know if we're going to start over or
we're going to keep this thing rolling. I want to
thank all of our listeners, our viewers out there. Give
us a five star rating. Wherever you pick up your podcast,
where this Apple podcasts, iHeartRadio, wherever you listen to tell
a friend, to tell a friend, to tell a friend,
give us a five star rating and give us a review,
click that like button and a follow go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
You know all right, I've never read a resume like
this before, so it's a lot. It's not the typical resume.
So you had a guest like that, We've never had
a guest like this. So. Three star athlete football, baseball,
basketball from the Bronx in New York. He was named
Athlete of the Year his senior year. Recruited by several
colleges to play football, he had an injury that ended
(01:33):
that he would eventually take a different route to the NFL.
He was an intern to chief executive and now he
is probably the commissioner to the most popular sport in
the world. No, probably, ladies and gentlemen, the commissioner, Roger Goodell,
(01:53):
come on, thank you, and you got like this. He's
got this brew Swayne swag, kind of going turtle. It's beautiful,
like he just knew. He's got the foot up like
he just like, I'm like, okay, a little little Bruce Wayne.
You know, I'm feeling it though.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I like it, like it's beautiful. We were just having
our little gibber jabber.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Now I love it. I don't even know if I've
seen the commission. I better played this for my wife.
She's gonna love hearing this from you. Your kids are
gonna love it too. All we need is all we
need is a fire like right there. You know what
I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
You get a little fire going right there, it'll be perfect.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Commission. I got to be got to be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
So nobody knew who you were up until you were
the commission of the NFL. Could you maybe talk us
and just kind of take us through that whole process
of how you became the man and also maybe talk
about how as former players, I don't think anybody knew
you until you became the guy, and you kind of
(02:54):
came out of nowhere. And now that you've been here
eighteen years.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
As commissioner, forty two years in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
There it is is forty two seasons for me. I'm
bad at math. When was your first year in the league?
Eighty two? Okay, I was trying to think, I ain't
even do that. I guess you covered. I'm better with you,
But it was eighty two.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
It was actually the year the players went on strike.
My internship was four months long and players went on strike.
I think it was two and a half months. It
was a really difficult time for the NFL overall fans,
but for you know, for a young kid who was
just starting an internship is four months. I figured this
is going to be the end of all for me.
(03:37):
You know, I don't it literally was running errands and
doing different things.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Did you think the NFL would last? I don't mean
to cutch you, yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Listen, I fell in love with the NFL in football
when I was I mean as young as I can remember. Honestly.
It just it was a sport that I love to play.
It's a sport that I think teaches so much about life.
I think so many of the lessons I learned to
playing are lessons that I use every day at my job.
(04:07):
But I also had, you know, an incredible opportunity to
get to know a lot of players. Like one of
my jobs when I was really young was actually recruiting
players out of college to come to the NFL because
they had a choice to go to the USFL or
the NFL.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Oh yeah choice. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Jerry Rice is one of my great recruits. I tell
Jerry all the time, I take full credit for your career,
but I know I used to spend time talking to
the guys about, you know, the benefits of come into
the NFL. And I worked closely with Gil brand in
that and yeah, uh Gil, I got to work. I
got to work with a lot of great people and
a lot of great opportunities. So went Pete Roselle was
(04:46):
a hero of mine who was a commissioner. Then I
worked on Pro bowls, I worked on international, I worked
on expansion. I just had a lot of great opportunities
that people gave me, supported me, and I had a
chance to sort of prove myself. So I was well
known in the NFL. I was not well known publicly
for sure. I worked for the Jets for a year
(05:08):
actually as an intern again back in nineteen eighty four,
and I still stay in touch with a lot of
those players there. That was a great experience for me.
So I've just been really fortunate. And as you say,
the NFL is an institution that I think people really admire,
respect and love. I think we have an influence in
the world, much less our country and our communities, and
(05:32):
I'm proud to be part of that.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I heard this rumor too. Tell me this, how close
were you to actually taking a coaching job with the Jets.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
You did your work, I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
No, you know it was the defensive coordinator at the
Jets was Joe Gardy at the time. And when my
internship ended, which was really just from really just beginning
of the season to the end of the season, and
I was supposed to go back to the NFL, he said,
would you stay here and be a defensive assistant? And
(06:05):
I really thought about it because I love the game. Yes,
but I don't know do I make the right choice.
I'm not sure I would say.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I would say, yeah, you think I was. I would
say that's what I was. That was my question, Like,
how did he even know you could coach?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I don't think he did. I you know, I think
a defensive assistant that probably means I was, you know,
copying the game plans and you know, doing all the
dirty work. So but it gives you a chance to coach.
So that was listen. I was young intern I was
doing everything right. You could ask me to do anything
I would have done. I was just I was just
(06:43):
trying to get my foot in the door and the
door yeah and learn and right. And I thought that
would be a great experience. But you know, once you
go down that track, you don't get out. You don't
get out. And it was sort of I thought about
I've always dreamed of and I wrote it in college
to my dad when I graduated. I said, I wanted
(07:04):
two things. I want to make you proud, and I
want to be commissioner of the NFL. And I wrote
that in college when I graduated, so I said, well,
let's stick with the plant.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Let's go. I should have did that. I was like, yeah,
I was like, I want to get you. I had to.
I didn't wait to put that in the universe. That's
what I like. Don't be an athlete, just run the league.
That's what I wanted to do. What you did, I
just wasn't good. So I think us as former players,
(07:35):
we all have that story of that moment where we
got hit or something happened, and it lets you know
that you were in the NFL. I'm so curious to know,
as a I guess the commissioner, as an executive, what
was your welcome to the NFL moment? I mean, clearly
wasn't a hit or anything like, what was your like,
Holy Holy, I'm the commission of the NFL and I
(07:58):
have to deal with this became commissioner. Yeah, when he
became a commissioner, like, what was that? Like, Oh my god,
you know, you know, the first.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Time it hit me. So it actually happened in Chicago.
That's where the league meeting was. And my wife's family's
from Chicago, so we were there and it was a
grueling process. It was four months and it was it
was rough, and you know, it was overwhelming. Dan Mooney
came to my room, knocked on the door and said,
(08:25):
commissioner put his hand out when.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
He said that. I really didn't know how to react.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
It was it was really overwhelming because Dan Mooney was
one of those I talked to him every day. Yeah,
Dan was one of those mentors for me. And you
got to have a lot of mentors and he was
one of them. And then everything the circus went to,
you know, the press and everything else. But the next
day I got to the office and we went down
and they asked me to come down to the cafeteria
(08:52):
and I did, and they handed me a football. My
name was on it already, and I looked at that
and that blew me away, Oh, blew me away. I
when I saw that that.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Was that was my holy shit moment. Now, are all
thirty two we allowed to say that on this Oh? Yeah, yeah,
you're good. You're good. Damn right. So another follow up
question would be what what's the interview Like, is it
like all thirty two or twenty nine owners, or like,
do they say, hey, what do you think the success
(09:22):
of the legue will be in the next ten years?
Or do you do like a business.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Plan or so, yes, you know, it's a it's a
time really where they set the process. You just you
have to comply. So I forgot what they were. They
were there were hundreds off, not thousands of people that
expressed and there were politicians or all kinds of other things.
And I was chief operating officer at the time. So
(09:47):
people said, well, aren't you the logical candidate And I said, no,
I'm not in the NFL. I said, you got to
you gotta earn it, and you know, hopefully my my
experience was helpful, but this process was really it was
grueling and that you had to meet with owners individually.
We had a two day period where you had to
(10:07):
meet with groups of eight owners and they would just
fire questions at you, and it was it was all
about what do you think of this? What do you
think of the future? Do you where do you think
we should go where? What's good about the game, what's
bad about the game? What do you think you would
do as commissioner? And it had I had to prepare
for that, right, I had to think about that, to
(10:28):
reflect on why I thought I was qualified to be
the commissioner, but also what my plan was because I
was you know, Paul Tagler was a great commissioner. He
gave me great opportunities. And I had to sort of
chart a different course and that was hard because I
didn't want to be disloyal, but I also felt like,
you know, it's a different time, right, you have to
(10:50):
you have to lead differently, and you have to probably
do things differently in a lot of areas. And then
the vote came down. It was it was really a
once that final meeting happened, it was two rough days
in Chicago and then they announced it.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Now, listening to you talk number one, do you ever
think you're ready right to beat the guy? Like that's
really hard to imagine with all the responsibility, how big
the NFL was imagining, how how great Paul Taglibu is,
Like I have a football with his name on it.
I kept get sure for that reason, and then also
(11:26):
I'm surprised that you're welcome to the NFL.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Moment was not in two.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Thousand and six my rookie year, same as your first
US commissioner at New Orleans, first game back in the
super Dome versus Atlanta. Where were you the first time
I actually got to meet you. I actually remember this.
That was like a big celebration because as former players
were all taught to kind of dislike you, and.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
I'm not up here anymore.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
It's kind of cool, like Acxie Rogers, Greg Degel's trying cool,
kind of cool, and he actually is rooting for all
the players.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
I wasn't taught to this, Like I guess it's ors.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I got to tell you, that was one of the
most memorable moments. It wasn't my wow commissioned in the NFL,
so I was that was clearly. I mean when that
return came, it was just that place just exploded.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
It it was rock energy.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
It was just it was my first time in the place.
I didn't understand it. It was tears, people were crying.
It was a lot of emotions. I didn't understand it
because I just got there, but being there, I'm so
thankful for it.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Well and for me, you know, one of the first
things I did, and Paul deserves the credits of leadership.
We were intent, under his leadership to make sure the
team got back to New Orleans and played in that dume.
And there were a lot of dark days and a
lot of difficult days for the people of New Orleans,
not just the Saints, but that was a moment where
(12:55):
there were many but there was one of the moments
where I realized the impact the NFL could have. It
really lifted an entire community up to see that that
was a symbol of recovery, right, that was that was.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
It's gonna be okay.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Uh. And I think the same thing was true with
nine to eleven. I think I think the NFL played
the leadership role position out of when we were going
to play how long did you more in the terrible
circumstances that we all were facing and the loss, and
the NFL did it right, yeah, and led. So I
realized during a lot of those experiences that the NFL
(13:32):
could play a valuable role in our communities, much less
our world.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back. You know what, talking about an impact on
the world. Taylor Swift. All right, let's let's talk about it.
Let's let's get this all out. I can't wait, all right,
Taylor Swift the impact that she and dating Travis Kelsey
has had on the not on the NFL, the news, everything.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
The right, the left, I mean, the people.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Yeah, people can it's not talking about it like it
has become its old deal because you may be talk
about how that has like what is that done for
the NFL and how much you guys leaning into it?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
How much are you not or you don't have any
control over it all.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
It's just a thing. Well, you know, everyone teaches me
about the script. That was not script, that was not
in the script. I was going to walk you down
that bath. We were trying to get me.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah. No.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
So we met her she actually going back to New
Orleans after they won the Super Bowl. She was our
kickoff performer. Okay, and we have two little girls, twin girls,
and they were at that time, I think five, and
so we got to meet her. And so we've known
the family and they're huge football fans. They love the game,
so we knew about her love of football. Obviously it's
(14:49):
great to see too. The Swifties don't understand that. The
sweet I think they're in a totally different lane and
they just come like they should know that. But if
these are football fans too, but you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Yeah, but I know you're right about that. They don't.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
And I think it's been sort of like two worlds colliding. Yes, yes,
And it's been a good thing because I think people
are starting to understand the different worlds.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
It's been great for the game, and she brought her
fan base to absolutely to league and it's I'm sure
I don't know what the numbers look like, but I'm
sure the numbers are you.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Know, it's hard to it's hard to say, you know,
is it this kind of difference in the ratings. But
what it does is it's it's new fans that are
experiencing our game and following it in some way, whether
it's watching a game on television or following on social
or however you want to engage. That's great for us
(15:45):
and so we're obviously the best thing about this is
they are two people who I think the world of
both of them, and they're great, and they seem really
happy and they're having fun, so great.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
What do you think about all the negga activity, the
people that come from this negative thing that's like, oh,
well he wrote Taylor too much. They're doing it and
it's like, how do you address that? Or do you
even address it? Like you don't even pay attention.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
The production is really up to our network partners. So
when they show they don't to me, they do a
great job. I get that. But you know, when hardcore
fans coming to watch the football game, they don't want
any distractions yet, right, But it's it's part of our game, right,
it's part of it's part of what we do right,
bring people together. And when you have two hundred million
(16:35):
plus fans, not everyone's gonna be happy with everything. I
promise you. They're going to get pissed about something and
you try to minimize that. But I always say, every day,
I know I'm going to piss somebody off. I just
try not to piss off more than twenty four owners
at one time.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You do get a lot of boots, you know, you
lean into it. Yeah, you do that.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Food was David Stern and I remember saying, well, you
haven't You haven't been introduced to the draft boo yet?
And I said, what are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Because I agree?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
And so he used to get booed at the draft.
And that's where I guess it started. I don't know,
but when we had the labor stoppage in twenty eleven,
that's when it happened. The first that first draft, it
could have knocked me over. We were a radio city
and when they started booing. I'm serious, it almost knocked
me back. It was that it was that powerful. I
was expecting a good reaction, believe me. Yeah when I
(17:31):
say good strong, but that one really was powerful, Like.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Y'all going into Atlanta or me going into Green Bay.
All the booze people said, boo, go bag. So you
get it in the right.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I love it because I think it's Listen, fans, that's
what they're supposed to do, right, you know, we teach
them to be loyal and passionate about their teams.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Go for it all right? So super Bowl matchup forty
nine Ers, Chiefs. Are you allowed to pick a team?
Do you have a team? Being a mission is not
a conflict of enturres? You know, the Chiefs are in
it give that the Chiefs, the Chiefs right home. I'm sorry,
right now, don't give them out. Who are you going for?
(18:12):
The Chiefs?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
O the forty nine ers give Chiefs are back four
times fifty five years.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I listen.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
This is the truth, because I just love the game.
As a commissioner, honestly, what you do is you're you
root for the team that's behind you, root for good officiating,
and most importantly, root for players to be safe.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Oh that's good advice.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
When I'm when I'm watching a game, those are the
three things on my mind. And when I'm watching at home,
which our our team hates. When I'm watching home because
I write notes. I got two or three pages of notes.
I'm listening to what the commentators say. I think that matters.
I'm looking at everything and trying to, you know, make
sure our game is being presented the best way and
(18:53):
you can do things to improve. So I watch it differently.
But I'm a fan, like I'll there. I watched football
on Friday nights. I go to games, high school games,
US games, college games, NFL game. I love the game.
I watched as much footballs probably anybody other than John Matten.
(19:15):
He was the one that always watched more football than I.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Couldn't keep up with him.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
He watched a legend single game and that's one of
the great values he had for me. For ten years
when he quit broadcasting, he was consultant for us and
whenever I had a question about what happened or football
or some trend, he would either have called me or
I would call him, and he knew about it. He
(19:39):
remember the play, and he called it up and sitting
there watching in his I can't even call it at home.
He basically had a warehouse with all the screens up
there with people moved that game to the main screen,
and he had an engineer who was doing it.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
It was incredible.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
It was the most it was most fun I've had
watching a football game.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
That's one of the things that you've seen at home.
Been taking notes that say you didn't really agree with
that you've taken to the network that they've changed.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Well. I think one that we we spend a lot
of time on us is officiating. It's a it's a
huge you know, we always work to try to bring
technology and we always try to figure out how we improve.
I think the officials do a great job, but you know,
you know the speed of the game.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
It's so fast and commission.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
The thing is is that we know the speed of
the game, right, The average fan does not understand how
how fast this game is and how violent it is,
Like they have no idea.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Absolutely, And they also don't understand how hard it is
to make those decisions. You have to make them on
the field as a player, Yes, they have to make
them on what's the call?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Trying to call it and you can't. You know, if
it's three, we're all cheating. We're all trying to get advantage.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Well I wouldn't say you're all cheated, but you are
trying to get an advantage. But you know, I made
this point earlier this week, and I said it since
that Kansas City Buffalo game. They got the call right
when the Chiefs player was all sides. Yeah, there was
no doubt about it. And if you don't call that,
the Bills are going to be pissed off. Rightfully, so
(21:16):
right that that was a big play. But they were
all pissed at the officials. And the officials get it right,
and they get it right vast majority of time when
they don't. We try to use that technology to try
to see how can we fix that. And you know,
that's something that we've gotten more and more into and
using replay, expedited replays, looking at the expanded a little
(21:38):
bit further. That's something that we continue to look at
and we will as well as training them and trying
to see what we can do to improve their ability.
But they're humans, right, they make They're going to make
an error.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
So do they get penalized for things? You need to
literally that's a question. But go to what we were
not going to talk about to him and you I
have to ask this question. Okay, I'll pivot back to that.
So the show is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast, right, So,
and eventually you hurt your knee or you got injured
(22:12):
your second i'm sorry, your freshman year. How was that
experience for you when you had that injury? What were
you feeling? And then not only after that, like how
did you transition into your second act?
Speaker 1 (22:27):
So when I had that injury, it was nineteen seventy
seven spring before I went to college. Pit him just
won the national championship with Johnny Majors, but he retired.
Jackie Cheryl came over. So I had talked to Jackie
Cheryl a lot about coming.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
To pitt.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Arthur scopic surgery was just coming out. Literally it was
I think it was on the cover Sports Illustrated Area.
I just wasn't I didn't trust it yet, honestly, and
I just said to myself at that time, I I
think I want to go a different path, and maybe
this happened for a reason, and I wanted to go.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I wasn't a great student.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
I'll just be honest with you.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
I was.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
That was not my highlight and throughout my spades. Huh,
you fooled me. No, I was.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I didn't know. No, I did. I did.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
I did well in college because I had to. I
had to, Like I never use that old thing he
didn't apply himself. I didn't apply myself. But I had
four brothers. I'm one of five boys in seven years,
and they were all smart, and they were all, you know,
going to great college, and you know, I was thinking
about playing football, and you know, I just felt like
(23:41):
I needed to sort of apply myself and sort of
set buckle down and say, you know what, you got
to prove yourself in the classroom. And I really did
feel strongly about pursuing career in the NFL. I just
I felt something about the commissioner's role and the importance
of it and what petersll and how he did it,
and that was always a dream of mine. I think
(24:01):
saying you're going to be commissioned when there's I think
it's been eight of us since the start of the lead,
so there's been three of us since nineteen sixty.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Yeah, So were there any struggles though? I know you
see and there's the statistics to show that when a
lot of us retire, there's a phase where we have
like a struggle period or there's a a transition, a
transitional period. Was that was your Did you have a
smooth transition after you got Ranger?
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Well? I went to college close to the pitt. I
was Washington. Jefferson is about an hour south of there.
I missed the game a lot, right, and it was
it was hard, but I was trying so hard to
be a student and all I did was study. Yeah,
and I just felt like I needed to do that.
I thought about coming back and playing at w J
(24:50):
for sophomore junior year, and I just felt like, you
know what, it's passed. I got to go forward and
I just kept moving I do think life is about transitions,
and I think that's true for whether you're transitioning into
the game, out of the game, into a new career.
I think, you know, you always have to be looking
(25:13):
forward and planning for that. You're a great example of that.
You are always talking about what you're going to do
when the game is over, right, and that's you know,
you have to start thinking about that. And it's hard
for We talk about the morning of the draft with
all the draft eligible players that come in and we
talk about that, and it's hard. They haven't even drafted
(25:33):
yet and we're sitting there talking about you know, think
about it, right, You got to you got to think
about you know, off the field. You got to think
about how you transition, how you continue to look at
what you're going to do beyond your playing day. Hard
for a young man at that stage to think about that.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back, all right.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
So this is a personal question, and Thomas probably looking
me crazy because I'm going to ask you, all right,
if you you just said it's you and it's eight
commissioners all time.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
I think that's what.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
You guys all in the in the you close the
door behind you. Who's walking out? You look like Steve Jobs.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
A ka Batman? Like, who's walking out? Everybody's in the
best shape. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't
know who has some size? I think size I think
I can take. I think I can take tags.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
But see I didn't the only other two commissions Pete
and Paul that I knew. I think I could get
them both.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
There you go. I think I think you can take
Adam Silver to I think I think you got Adam
Silver too. You got some size. I think I can
get them. So yeah, I feel good about that.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
I know this much. I won't lose because I didn't
try hard. If I lose.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
He like it, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
I don't like to lose.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
How do you think the league is doing and providing
support for its former players. I know it's been a
big shift in that under your watch. It's been a
lot of whether it's you know, negotiations, whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I've seen a big.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Change from when I was playing to what the players
complained about to where it is now post career. I
think you guys are doing an awesome job. I mean,
it's more things available now for former players than it's
ever been at any point in time for former players
and will and.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
How has that been under your watch? And then how
did you.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Guys continue to push it further and continue to let
that grow.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Well, I appreciate you saying it, because it has been
a lot of work by current players, the union or
ownership and former players. You know, I met before we
did our last collective bring with I think it was
twenty gold jackets and went to Campton just to talk
about that issue of the priorities. What are the issues?
(28:02):
Pretty much pension was the number one priority. That was universal.
Everyone had a two, three, and four, and sometimes they
were different and we tried to address those. But again
it goes to the point of recognizing that those former players,
you know, they helped build what we're all sharing, no doubt,
(28:23):
and everybody's going to be a former player. If you
and I said that in many of the negotiations, all
of you have that in common. You will be a
former player one day, and it's really important for us
to provide the opportunities. To the point you were talking
about before, for a transition, how how to make that
transition successfully? Financial is part of it. But as you know,
(28:46):
most of the foreigner players I talked to, and I
talked to a lot, they say, it's not really the money,
it's not really the fame. It's that locker room, it's
that support, right, you know, you don't have that structure
as much.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Well, I've never been to a doctor like until.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
You didn't have to.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Yeah, yeah, you have plenty of medical right, right, all
these things, all of that, and I think, and particularly
when that's put off for so long, right, our kids
are going through that now, transitioning out of college.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I think it's a you know, they're having to learn
that right now. You guys didn't have to worry about
that until you were over thirty thirty five. And so
I think all of us focus on trying to provide
the benefits. We've expanded the benefits. One of the challenges,
honestly is making sure that the former players can access those.
(29:34):
There's so many programs it becomes overwhelming, and trying to
get them to understand where you access.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Right, having everything in one spot exactly socially located so
you can get to it right.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
And you know, there are different laws from different states
too that you know you have to you have to
figure but it's also just trying to keep them part
of the game ultimately, you know, we really push for
teams that have stronger homecoming weekends, alumni weekends, and have
a better relationship. Free agencies made that a little harder
(30:10):
because but I just think it's really important for us
to make sure we recognize the importance of what they
do and we assist. And then you have one other
issue that you guys know, a lot of our former
players are incredibly proud and don't want to ask for help.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
And I would agree with you. I think it's how
we're built is you're absolutely I think from the time
you're a young child, it's you get injured, but it's
like good, Okay, get back in here and go. It's
good to a certain point, good to an extent, but
at some point you have to pay commission. I need
some help. I've been struggling, particularly mental health.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Yeah, we're doing more and more in that area, and
I think that's with active players, with all our personnel.
I think we've you know, we have done such a
great job on what we call fit health, if you
want to look at it that way. I think the
care in the NFL is better than it's ever been,
and I think it's extraordinary. But I think the mental
(31:09):
health is something that we all got to continue to
focus on and try to to help players do that
and give them the door walk through to sort of
say I need assistance. Yeah, we all do at times.
I mean, that's it's not a weakness. And I think
the macho part of it.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Is hard, right, right, right?
Speaker 1 (31:26):
And does that mean he's weak? Does that mean he's
not going to show up in the fourth quarter? I
think we were changing the culture on that. That doesn't
That's not a weakness, right, It's actually a strength strength
most I think it's super important and I don't want
to cut you off, Panut, but you know, I think
the most important call I've had in this twenty twenty
four years to call the benefics department.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
And say I want to go see counseling, just to
see I'm not crazy, you know, like I'm not that
thrown off.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
I do. Just want to talk to somebody else. And
I think that is okay, healthy is what you call me?
Picked up, But you're not.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Going to tell me what I need to hear, right,
It's like you can tell me what I want to hear,
and it's really important to Sometimes the most important conversation
you have is the one you have with yourself, absolutely right,
and so understanding that having some self realization, I think
that's real. I appreciate you understanding that, especially for us players,
(32:23):
how important that is and making sure that the people
on top know that, hey, we need to allow these
guys to assess this to be a part of their lives.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Well, you know how much I respect I have for
our place, the things that are some of our players
have overcome in their life and the journeys that they've
been on.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
I think it's one of the things.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
That are so great about the draft is because they
get to know these players as young men and their
journey and how they got to where they are, and
some of the stories are they're inspiring, their difficult, but
they just look at these young men and you sort
of say they're extraordinary, not just athletes, they're extraordinaries people. Yeah,
(33:06):
And I think people I think people forget that because
you know, you're wearing the helmets and they're thinking about
that's a player, that's a person number one, And they're
great young men and I couldn't be prouder of them.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
So I got a fun question for you. Forty two
years you've been playing or excuse me not playing, you've
been in the forty two right, So forty two mault
rushmore of all the people that have helped you get
to where you are in life right now? Those four people,
who would they be?
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (33:36):
That's hard.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I mean, you know, it always starts with family to me.
You know, I've been so blessed with a great family.
My parents were great. I lost them very young, but
I have four brothers still and we're all really close.
I have a great wife who understands what I do.
And my twin daughters.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
That's two too. You're putting those categories. The wife is
to so you get to.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Know what I better put my wife first, for the record,
Put my wife first. I got to, I think, professionally,
the number of people who gave me opportunities to shine.
Pete Roselle, who gave me a chance to come into
the NFL, people who are my supervisors, Pete Abbottainting worked
(34:28):
with me. Pete was my first supervisor when I walked
in the door. Uh. So many people that were just
supportive and gave me the opportunity to try to do something,
and then I would put all those mentors are outside.
Believe I have. I have so many mentors. I'm a
huge mentor and believe in that we all need that,
(34:51):
we all need someone to sort of support us, sometimes
tell us what we don't want to hear, sometimes just to.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Be an ear.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
But I I think mentorship is really important. And am
I literally at hundreds and there from every different world
you could imagine. And I think that's important because it's perspective.
People talk about diversity, and I always talk about diversity
and diversity of experiences and thought and perspective, and that's
(35:21):
that's what I that's what I really a treasure in
this job. You have a lot of information if you
have to balance, but you better understand all the perspectives
before you make a decision.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
Appreciate that perspective. So Rome, we don't have any more
sign we got a new finish, a thousand US.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
I'm going to, yes, go, I'm going to I want
to know your top four players of all time?
Speaker 2 (35:45):
It's on your mind, four players all time? Peter Roman,
take that?
Speaker 1 (35:52):
I you know what again, I've just met so many
Grays players and so many just great people.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
I couldn't never pick for okay, I couldn't. I couldn't
do it. I like it. Thank you. You're a busy man.
Is super Bowl your assistant, She's trying to get you
to go. This dude will talk all day. Appreciate you
from coming out to the shaking guys. Always a blessed
to have you. Appreciate you, commission.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
I appreciate it man and all honesty. Having you here
is almost like making our very first Pro Bowl. You
have officially like made us official. So thank you for
having us. Just thank you guys for coming. Man. Everybody
that looks watches continue to do that. Roger Dell is here.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
That means we are official. Here, we have made it.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Aka Tilman, thank you so much. Wherever you listen to us,
pick us up on your podcast with us Apple podcast, iHeartRadio.
Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend.
Give us a five star rating. Thank you, give us
a review, hit follow Peanut, get us ap out of here, man,
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Hey, we out cut out. It's around. We're done. You
guys are good man
The next day, I got to the office and we
went down and they asked me come down to the
cafeteria and I did, and they handed me a football.
My name was on and I looked at that, and
that blew me away. Oh that just blew me away
when I when I saw that, that was that was
my holy shit moment we allowed to say that on that.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh yeah, yeah, you're good, You're good. Damn right. Thank
you for tuning in. I'm peanuts to me and this
is the NFL Player's second act podcast and with me
as always, I got this guy over here. He's nothing
without on me, but he's better with me. What's up, baby,
(00:41):
Roman Harbor, that's my guy. I agree with you. I agree.
I totally agree with you. First and foremost.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Let me just go ahead and say this now, because
I don't know if we're going to start over or
we're going to keep this thing rolling. I want to
thank all of our listeners, our viewers out there. Give
us a five star rating. Wherever you pick up your podcast,
where this Apple podcasts, iHeartRadio, wherever you listen to tell
a friend, to tell a friend, to tell a friend,
give us a five star rating and give us a review,
click that like button and a follow go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
You know all right, I've never read a resume like
this before, so it's a lot. It's not the typical resume.
So you had a guest like that, We've never had
a guest like this. So. Three star athlete football, baseball,
basketball from the Bronx in New York. He was named
Athlete of the Year his senior year. Recruited by several
colleges to play football, he had an injury that ended
(01:33):
that he would eventually take a different route to the NFL.
He was an intern to chief executive and now he
is probably the commissioner to the most popular sport in
the world. No, probably, ladies and gentlemen, the commissioner, Roger Goodell,
(01:53):
come on, thank you, and you got like this. He's
got this brew Swayne swag, kind of going turtle. It's beautiful,
like he just knew. He's got the foot up like
he just like, I'm like, okay, a little little Bruce Wayne.
You know, I'm feeling it though.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I like it, like it's beautiful. We were just having
our little gibber jabber.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Now I love it. I don't even know if I've
seen the commission. I better played this for my wife.
She's gonna love hearing this from you. Your kids are
gonna love it too. All we need is all we
need is a fire like right there. You know what
I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
You get a little fire going right there, it'll be perfect.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Commission. I got to be got to be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
So nobody knew who you were up until you were
the commission of the NFL. Could you maybe talk us
and just kind of take us through that whole process
of how you became the man and also maybe talk
about how as former players, I don't think anybody knew
you until you became the guy, and you kind of
(02:54):
came out of nowhere. And now that you've been here
eighteen years.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
As commissioner, forty two years in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
There it is is forty two seasons for me. I'm
bad at math. When was your first year in the league?
Eighty two? Okay, I was trying to think, I ain't
even do that. I guess you covered. I'm better with you,
But it was eighty two.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
It was actually the year the players went on strike.
My internship was four months long and players went on strike.
I think it was two and a half months. It
was a really difficult time for the NFL overall fans,
but for you know, for a young kid who was
just starting an internship is four months. I figured this
is going to be the end of all for me.
(03:37):
You know, I don't it literally was running errands and
doing different things.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Did you think the NFL would last? I don't mean
to cutch you, yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Listen, I fell in love with the NFL in football
when I was I mean as young as I can remember. Honestly.
It just it was a sport that I love to play.
It's a sport that I think teaches so much about life.
I think so many of the lessons I learned to
playing are lessons that I use every day at my job.
(04:07):
But I also had, you know, an incredible opportunity to
get to know a lot of players. Like one of
my jobs when I was really young was actually recruiting
players out of college to come to the NFL because
they had a choice to go to the USFL or
the NFL.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Oh yeah choice. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Jerry Rice is one of my great recruits. I tell
Jerry all the time, I take full credit for your career,
but I know I used to spend time talking to
the guys about, you know, the benefits of come into
the NFL. And I worked closely with Gil brand in
that and yeah, uh Gil, I got to work. I
got to work with a lot of great people and
a lot of great opportunities. So went Pete Roselle was
(04:46):
a hero of mine who was a commissioner. Then I
worked on Pro bowls, I worked on international, I worked
on expansion. I just had a lot of great opportunities
that people gave me, supported me, and I had a
chance to sort of prove myself. So I was well
known in the NFL. I was not well known publicly
for sure. I worked for the Jets for a year
(05:08):
actually as an intern again back in nineteen eighty four,
and I still stay in touch with a lot of
those players there. That was a great experience for me.
So I've just been really fortunate. And as you say,
the NFL is an institution that I think people really admire,
respect and love. I think we have an influence in
the world, much less our country and our communities, and
(05:32):
I'm proud to be part of that.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I heard this rumor too. Tell me this, how close
were you to actually taking a coaching job with the Jets.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
You did your work, I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
No, you know it was the defensive coordinator at the
Jets was Joe Gardy at the time. And when my
internship ended, which was really just from really just beginning
of the season to the end of the season, and
I was supposed to go back to the NFL, he said,
would you stay here and be a defensive assistant? And
(06:05):
I really thought about it because I love the game. Yes,
but I don't know do I make the right choice.
I'm not sure I would say.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I would say, yeah, you think I was. I would
say that's what I was. That was my question, Like,
how did he even know you could coach?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I don't think he did. I you know, I think
a defensive assistant that probably means I was, you know,
copying the game plans and you know, doing all the
dirty work. So but it gives you a chance to coach.
So that was listen. I was young intern I was
doing everything right. You could ask me to do anything
I would have done. I was just I was just
(06:43):
trying to get my foot in the door and the
door yeah and learn and right. And I thought that
would be a great experience. But you know, once you
go down that track, you don't get out. You don't
get out. And it was sort of I thought about
I've always dreamed of and I wrote it in college
to my dad when I graduated. I said, I wanted
(07:04):
two things. I want to make you proud, and I
want to be commissioner of the NFL. And I wrote
that in college when I graduated, so I said, well,
let's stick with the plant.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Let's go. I should have did that. I was like, yeah,
I was like, I want to get you. I had to.
I didn't wait to put that in the universe. That's
what I like. Don't be an athlete, just run the league.
That's what I wanted to do. What you did, I
just wasn't good. So I think us as former players,
(07:35):
we all have that story of that moment where we
got hit or something happened, and it lets you know
that you were in the NFL. I'm so curious to know,
as a I guess the commissioner, as an executive, what
was your welcome to the NFL moment? I mean, clearly
wasn't a hit or anything like, what was your like,
Holy Holy, I'm the commission of the NFL and I
(07:58):
have to deal with this became commissioner. Yeah, when he
became a commissioner, like, what was that? Like, Oh my god,
you know, you know, the first.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Time it hit me. So it actually happened in Chicago.
That's where the league meeting was. And my wife's family's
from Chicago, so we were there and it was a
grueling process. It was four months and it was it
was rough, and you know, it was overwhelming. Dan Mooney
came to my room, knocked on the door and said,
(08:25):
commissioner put his hand out when.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
He said that. I really didn't know how to react.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
It was it was really overwhelming because Dan Mooney was
one of those I talked to him every day. Yeah,
Dan was one of those mentors for me. And you
got to have a lot of mentors and he was
one of them. And then everything the circus went to,
you know, the press and everything else. But the next
day I got to the office and we went down
and they asked me to come down to the cafeteria
(08:52):
and I did, and they handed me a football. My
name was on it already, and I looked at that
and that blew me away, Oh, blew me away. I
when I saw that that.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Was that was my holy shit moment. Now, are all
thirty two we allowed to say that on this Oh? Yeah, yeah,
you're good. You're good. Damn right. So another follow up
question would be what what's the interview Like, is it
like all thirty two or twenty nine owners, or like,
do they say, hey, what do you think the success
(09:22):
of the legue will be in the next ten years?
Or do you do like a business.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Plan or so, yes, you know, it's a it's a
time really where they set the process. You just you
have to comply. So I forgot what they were. They
were there were hundreds off, not thousands of people that
expressed and there were politicians or all kinds of other things.
And I was chief operating officer at the time. So
(09:47):
people said, well, aren't you the logical candidate And I said, no,
I'm not in the NFL. I said, you got to
you gotta earn it, and you know, hopefully my my
experience was helpful, but this process was really it was
grueling and that you had to meet with owners individually.
We had a two day period where you had to
(10:07):
meet with groups of eight owners and they would just
fire questions at you, and it was it was all
about what do you think of this? What do you
think of the future? Do you where do you think
we should go where? What's good about the game, what's
bad about the game? What do you think you would
do as commissioner? And it had I had to prepare
for that, right, I had to think about that, to
(10:28):
reflect on why I thought I was qualified to be
the commissioner, but also what my plan was because I
was you know, Paul Tagler was a great commissioner. He
gave me great opportunities. And I had to sort of
chart a different course and that was hard because I
didn't want to be disloyal, but I also felt like,
you know, it's a different time, right, you have to
(10:50):
you have to lead differently, and you have to probably
do things differently in a lot of areas. And then
the vote came down. It was it was really a
once that final meeting happened, it was two rough days
in Chicago and then they announced it.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Now, listening to you talk number one, do you ever
think you're ready right to beat the guy? Like that's
really hard to imagine with all the responsibility, how big
the NFL was imagining, how how great Paul Taglibu is,
Like I have a football with his name on it.
I kept get sure for that reason, and then also
(11:26):
I'm surprised that you're welcome to the NFL.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Moment was not in two.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Thousand and six my rookie year, same as your first
US commissioner at New Orleans, first game back in the
super Dome versus Atlanta. Where were you the first time
I actually got to meet you. I actually remember this.
That was like a big celebration because as former players
were all taught to kind of dislike you, and.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
I'm not up here anymore.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
It's kind of cool, like Acxie Rogers, Greg Degel's trying cool,
kind of cool, and he actually is rooting for all
the players.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
I wasn't taught to this, Like I guess it's ors.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I got to tell you, that was one of the
most memorable moments. It wasn't my wow commissioned in the NFL,
so I was that was clearly. I mean when that
return came, it was just that place just exploded.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
It it was rock energy.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
It was just it was my first time in the place.
I didn't understand it. It was tears, people were crying.
It was a lot of emotions. I didn't understand it
because I just got there, but being there, I'm so
thankful for it.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Well and for me, you know, one of the first
things I did, and Paul deserves the credits of leadership.
We were intent, under his leadership to make sure the
team got back to New Orleans and played in that dume.
And there were a lot of dark days and a
lot of difficult days for the people of New Orleans,
not just the Saints, but that was a moment where
(12:55):
there were many but there was one of the moments
where I realized the impact the NFL could have. It
really lifted an entire community up to see that that
was a symbol of recovery, right, that was that was.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
It's gonna be okay.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Uh. And I think the same thing was true with
nine to eleven. I think I think the NFL played
the leadership role position out of when we were going
to play how long did you more in the terrible
circumstances that we all were facing and the loss, and
the NFL did it right, yeah, and led. So I
realized during a lot of those experiences that the NFL
(13:32):
could play a valuable role in our communities, much less
our world.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back. You know what, talking about an impact on
the world. Taylor Swift. All right, let's let's talk about it.
Let's let's get this all out. I can't wait, all right,
Taylor Swift the impact that she and dating Travis Kelsey
has had on the not on the NFL, the news, everything.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
The right, the left, I mean, the people.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Yeah, people can it's not talking about it like it
has become its old deal because you may be talk
about how that has like what is that done for
the NFL and how much you guys leaning into it?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
How much are you not or you don't have any
control over it all.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
It's just a thing. Well, you know, everyone teaches me
about the script. That was not script, that was not
in the script. I was going to walk you down
that bath. We were trying to get me.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah. No.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
So we met her she actually going back to New
Orleans after they won the Super Bowl. She was our
kickoff performer. Okay, and we have two little girls, twin girls,
and they were at that time, I think five, and
so we got to meet her. And so we've known
the family and they're huge football fans. They love the game,
so we knew about her love of football. Obviously it's
(14:49):
great to see too. The Swifties don't understand that. The
sweet I think they're in a totally different lane and
they just come like they should know that. But if
these are football fans too, but you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Yeah, but I know you're right about that. They don't.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
And I think it's been sort of like two worlds colliding. Yes, yes,
And it's been a good thing because I think people
are starting to understand the different worlds.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
It's been great for the game, and she brought her
fan base to absolutely to league and it's I'm sure
I don't know what the numbers look like, but I'm
sure the numbers are you.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Know, it's hard to it's hard to say, you know,
is it this kind of difference in the ratings. But
what it does is it's it's new fans that are
experiencing our game and following it in some way, whether
it's watching a game on television or following on social
or however you want to engage. That's great for us
(15:45):
and so we're obviously the best thing about this is
they are two people who I think the world of
both of them, and they're great, and they seem really
happy and they're having fun, so great.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
What do you think about all the negga activity, the
people that come from this negative thing that's like, oh,
well he wrote Taylor too much. They're doing it and
it's like, how do you address that? Or do you
even address it? Like you don't even pay attention.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
The production is really up to our network partners. So
when they show they don't to me, they do a
great job. I get that. But you know, when hardcore
fans coming to watch the football game, they don't want
any distractions yet, right, But it's it's part of our game, right,
it's part of it's part of what we do right,
bring people together. And when you have two hundred million
(16:35):
plus fans, not everyone's gonna be happy with everything. I
promise you. They're going to get pissed about something and
you try to minimize that. But I always say, every day,
I know I'm going to piss somebody off. I just
try not to piss off more than twenty four owners
at one time.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You do get a lot of boots, you know, you
lean into it. Yeah, you do that.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Food was David Stern and I remember saying, well, you
haven't You haven't been introduced to the draft boo yet?
And I said, what are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Because I agree?
Speaker 1 (17:07):
And so he used to get booed at the draft.
And that's where I guess it started. I don't know,
but when we had the labor stoppage in twenty eleven,
that's when it happened. The first that first draft, it
could have knocked me over. We were a radio city
and when they started booing. I'm serious, it almost knocked
me back. It was that it was that powerful. I
was expecting a good reaction, believe me. Yeah when I
(17:31):
say good strong, but that one really was powerful, Like.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Y'all going into Atlanta or me going into Green Bay.
All the booze people said, boo, go bag. So you
get it in the right.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I love it because I think it's Listen, fans, that's
what they're supposed to do, right, you know, we teach
them to be loyal and passionate about their teams.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Go for it all right? So super Bowl matchup forty
nine Ers, Chiefs. Are you allowed to pick a team?
Do you have a team? Being a mission is not
a conflict of enturres? You know, the Chiefs are in
it give that the Chiefs, the Chiefs right home. I'm sorry,
right now, don't give them out. Who are you going for?
(18:12):
The Chiefs?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
O the forty nine ers give Chiefs are back four
times fifty five years.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I listen.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
This is the truth, because I just love the game.
As a commissioner, honestly, what you do is you're you
root for the team that's behind you, root for good officiating,
and most importantly, root for players to be safe.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Oh that's good advice.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
When I'm when I'm watching a game, those are the
three things on my mind. And when I'm watching at home,
which our our team hates. When I'm watching home because
I write notes. I got two or three pages of notes.
I'm listening to what the commentators say. I think that matters.
I'm looking at everything and trying to, you know, make
sure our game is being presented the best way and
(18:53):
you can do things to improve. So I watch it differently.
But I'm a fan, like I'll there. I watched football
on Friday nights. I go to games, high school games,
US games, college games, NFL game. I love the game.
I watched as much footballs probably anybody other than John Matten.
(19:15):
He was the one that always watched more football than I.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Couldn't keep up with him.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
He watched a legend single game and that's one of
the great values he had for me. For ten years
when he quit broadcasting, he was consultant for us and
whenever I had a question about what happened or football
or some trend, he would either have called me or
I would call him, and he knew about it. He
(19:39):
remember the play, and he called it up and sitting
there watching in his I can't even call it at home.
He basically had a warehouse with all the screens up
there with people moved that game to the main screen,
and he had an engineer who was doing it.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
It was incredible.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
It was the most it was most fun I've had
watching a football game.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
That's one of the things that you've seen at home.
Been taking notes that say you didn't really agree with
that you've taken to the network that they've changed.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Well. I think one that we we spend a lot
of time on us is officiating. It's a it's a
huge you know, we always work to try to bring
technology and we always try to figure out how we improve.
I think the officials do a great job, but you know,
you know the speed of the game.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
It's so fast and commission.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
The thing is is that we know the speed of
the game, right, The average fan does not understand how
how fast this game is and how violent it is,
Like they have no idea.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Absolutely, And they also don't understand how hard it is
to make those decisions. You have to make them on
the field as a player, Yes, they have to make
them on what's the call?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Trying to call it and you can't. You know, if
it's three, we're all cheating. We're all trying to get advantage.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Well I wouldn't say you're all cheated, but you are
trying to get an advantage. But you know, I made
this point earlier this week, and I said it since
that Kansas City Buffalo game. They got the call right
when the Chiefs player was all sides. Yeah, there was
no doubt about it. And if you don't call that,
the Bills are going to be pissed off. Rightfully, so
(21:16):
right that that was a big play. But they were
all pissed at the officials. And the officials get it right,
and they get it right vast majority of time when
they don't. We try to use that technology to try
to see how can we fix that. And you know,
that's something that we've gotten more and more into and
using replay, expedited replays, looking at the expanded a little
(21:38):
bit further. That's something that we continue to look at
and we will as well as training them and trying
to see what we can do to improve their ability.
But they're humans, right, they make They're going to make
an error.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
So do they get penalized for things? You need to
literally that's a question. But go to what we were
not going to talk about to him and you I
have to ask this question. Okay, I'll pivot back to that.
So the show is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast, right, So,
and eventually you hurt your knee or you got injured
(22:12):
your second i'm sorry, your freshman year. How was that
experience for you when you had that injury? What were
you feeling? And then not only after that, like how
did you transition into your second act?
Speaker 1 (22:27):
So when I had that injury, it was nineteen seventy
seven spring before I went to college. Pit him just
won the national championship with Johnny Majors, but he retired.
Jackie Cheryl came over. So I had talked to Jackie
Cheryl a lot about coming.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
To pitt.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Arthur scopic surgery was just coming out. Literally it was
I think it was on the cover Sports Illustrated Area.
I just wasn't I didn't trust it yet, honestly, and
I just said to myself at that time, I I
think I want to go a different path, and maybe
this happened for a reason, and I wanted to go.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I wasn't a great student.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
I'll just be honest with you.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
I was.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
That was not my highlight and throughout my spades. Huh,
you fooled me. No, I was.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I didn't know. No, I did. I did.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
I did well in college because I had to. I
had to, Like I never use that old thing he
didn't apply himself. I didn't apply myself. But I had
four brothers. I'm one of five boys in seven years,
and they were all smart, and they were all, you know,
going to great college, and you know, I was thinking
about playing football, and you know, I just felt like
(23:41):
I needed to sort of apply myself and sort of
set buckle down and say, you know what, you got
to prove yourself in the classroom. And I really did
feel strongly about pursuing career in the NFL. I just
I felt something about the commissioner's role and the importance
of it and what petersll and how he did it,
and that was always a dream of mine. I think
(24:01):
saying you're going to be commissioned when there's I think
it's been eight of us since the start of the lead,
so there's been three of us since nineteen sixty.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Yeah, So were there any struggles though? I know you
see and there's the statistics to show that when a
lot of us retire, there's a phase where we have
like a struggle period or there's a a transition, a
transitional period. Was that was your Did you have a
smooth transition after you got Ranger?
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Well? I went to college close to the pitt. I
was Washington. Jefferson is about an hour south of there.
I missed the game a lot, right, and it was
it was hard, but I was trying so hard to
be a student and all I did was study. Yeah,
and I just felt like I needed to do that.
I thought about coming back and playing at w J
(24:50):
for sophomore junior year, and I just felt like, you
know what, it's passed. I got to go forward and
I just kept moving I do think life is about transitions,
and I think that's true for whether you're transitioning into
the game, out of the game, into a new career.
I think, you know, you always have to be looking
(25:13):
forward and planning for that. You're a great example of that.
You are always talking about what you're going to do
when the game is over, right, and that's you know,
you have to start thinking about that. And it's hard
for We talk about the morning of the draft with
all the draft eligible players that come in and we
talk about that, and it's hard. They haven't even drafted
(25:33):
yet and we're sitting there talking about you know, think
about it, right, You got to you got to think
about you know, off the field. You got to think
about how you transition, how you continue to look at
what you're going to do beyond your playing day. Hard
for a young man at that stage to think about that.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back, all right.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
So this is a personal question, and Thomas probably looking
me crazy because I'm going to ask you, all right,
if you you just said it's you and it's eight
commissioners all time.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
I think that's what.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
You guys all in the in the you close the
door behind you. Who's walking out? You look like Steve Jobs.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
A ka Batman? Like, who's walking out? Everybody's in the
best shape. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't
know who has some size? I think size I think
I can take. I think I can take tags.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
But see I didn't the only other two commissions Pete
and Paul that I knew. I think I could get
them both.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
There you go. I think I think you can take
Adam Silver to I think I think you got Adam
Silver too. You got some size. I think I can
get them. So yeah, I feel good about that.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
I know this much. I won't lose because I didn't
try hard. If I lose.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
He like it, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
I don't like to lose.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
How do you think the league is doing and providing
support for its former players. I know it's been a
big shift in that under your watch. It's been a
lot of whether it's you know, negotiations, whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
I've seen a big.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Change from when I was playing to what the players
complained about to where it is now post career. I
think you guys are doing an awesome job. I mean,
it's more things available now for former players than it's
ever been at any point in time for former players
and will and.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
How has that been under your watch? And then how
did you.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Guys continue to push it further and continue to let
that grow.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Well, I appreciate you saying it, because it has been
a lot of work by current players, the union or
ownership and former players. You know, I met before we
did our last collective bring with I think it was
twenty gold jackets and went to Campton just to talk
about that issue of the priorities. What are the issues?
(28:02):
Pretty much pension was the number one priority. That was universal.
Everyone had a two, three, and four, and sometimes they
were different and we tried to address those. But again
it goes to the point of recognizing that those former players,
you know, they helped build what we're all sharing, no doubt,
(28:23):
and everybody's going to be a former player. If you
and I said that in many of the negotiations, all
of you have that in common. You will be a
former player one day, and it's really important for us
to provide the opportunities. To the point you were talking
about before, for a transition, how how to make that
transition successfully? Financial is part of it. But as you know,
(28:46):
most of the foreigner players I talked to, and I
talked to a lot, they say, it's not really the money,
it's not really the fame. It's that locker room, it's
that support, right, you know, you don't have that structure
as much.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Well, I've never been to a doctor like until.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
You didn't have to.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Yeah, yeah, you have plenty of medical right, right, all
these things, all of that, and I think, and particularly
when that's put off for so long, right, our kids
are going through that now, transitioning out of college.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I think it's a you know, they're having to learn
that right now. You guys didn't have to worry about
that until you were over thirty thirty five. And so
I think all of us focus on trying to provide
the benefits. We've expanded the benefits. One of the challenges,
honestly is making sure that the former players can access those.
(29:34):
There's so many programs it becomes overwhelming, and trying to
get them to understand where you access.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Right, having everything in one spot exactly socially located so
you can get to it right.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
And you know, there are different laws from different states
too that you know you have to you have to
figure but it's also just trying to keep them part
of the game ultimately, you know, we really push for
teams that have stronger homecoming weekends, alumni weekends, and have
a better relationship. Free agencies made that a little harder
(30:10):
because but I just think it's really important for us
to make sure we recognize the importance of what they
do and we assist. And then you have one other
issue that you guys know, a lot of our former
players are incredibly proud and don't want to ask for help.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
And I would agree with you. I think it's how
we're built is you're absolutely I think from the time
you're a young child, it's you get injured, but it's
like good, Okay, get back in here and go. It's
good to a certain point, good to an extent, but
at some point you have to pay commission. I need
some help. I've been struggling, particularly mental health.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Yeah, we're doing more and more in that area, and
I think that's with active players, with all our personnel.
I think we've you know, we have done such a
great job on what we call fit health, if you
want to look at it that way. I think the
care in the NFL is better than it's ever been,
and I think it's extraordinary. But I think the mental
(31:09):
health is something that we all got to continue to
focus on and try to to help players do that
and give them the door walk through to sort of
say I need assistance. Yeah, we all do at times.
I mean, that's it's not a weakness. And I think
the macho part of it.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Is hard, right, right, right?
Speaker 1 (31:26):
And does that mean he's weak? Does that mean he's
not going to show up in the fourth quarter? I
think we were changing the culture on that. That doesn't
That's not a weakness, right, It's actually a strength strength
most I think it's super important and I don't want
to cut you off, Panut, but you know, I think
the most important call I've had in this twenty twenty
four years to call the benefics department.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
And say I want to go see counseling, just to
see I'm not crazy, you know, like I'm not that
thrown off.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
I do. Just want to talk to somebody else. And
I think that is okay, healthy is what you call me?
Picked up, But you're not.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Going to tell me what I need to hear, right,
It's like you can tell me what I want to hear,
and it's really important to Sometimes the most important conversation
you have is the one you have with yourself, absolutely right,
and so understanding that having some self realization, I think
that's real. I appreciate you understanding that, especially for us players,
(32:23):
how important that is and making sure that the people
on top know that, hey, we need to allow these
guys to assess this to be a part of their lives.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Well, you know how much I respect I have for
our place, the things that are some of our players
have overcome in their life and the journeys that they've
been on.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
I think it's one of the things.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
That are so great about the draft is because they
get to know these players as young men and their
journey and how they got to where they are, and
some of the stories are they're inspiring, their difficult, but
they just look at these young men and you sort
of say they're extraordinary, not just athletes, they're extraordinaries people. Yeah,
(33:06):
And I think people I think people forget that because
you know, you're wearing the helmets and they're thinking about
that's a player, that's a person number one, And they're
great young men and I couldn't be prouder of them.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
So I got a fun question for you. Forty two
years you've been playing or excuse me not playing, you've
been in the forty two right, So forty two mault
rushmore of all the people that have helped you get
to where you are in life right now? Those four people,
who would they be?
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (33:36):
That's hard.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I mean, you know, it always starts with family to me.
You know, I've been so blessed with a great family.
My parents were great. I lost them very young, but
I have four brothers still and we're all really close.
I have a great wife who understands what I do.
And my twin daughters.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
That's two too. You're putting those categories. The wife is
to so you get to.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Know what I better put my wife first, for the record,
Put my wife first. I got to, I think, professionally,
the number of people who gave me opportunities to shine.
Pete Roselle, who gave me a chance to come into
the NFL, people who are my supervisors, Pete Abbottainting worked
(34:28):
with me. Pete was my first supervisor when I walked
in the door. Uh. So many people that were just
supportive and gave me the opportunity to try to do something,
and then I would put all those mentors are outside.
Believe I have. I have so many mentors. I'm a
huge mentor and believe in that we all need that,
(34:51):
we all need someone to sort of support us, sometimes
tell us what we don't want to hear, sometimes just to.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Be an ear.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
But I I think mentorship is really important. And am
I literally at hundreds and there from every different world
you could imagine. And I think that's important because it's perspective.
People talk about diversity, and I always talk about diversity
and diversity of experiences and thought and perspective, and that's
(35:21):
that's what I that's what I really a treasure in
this job. You have a lot of information if you
have to balance, but you better understand all the perspectives
before you make a decision.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
Appreciate that perspective. So Rome, we don't have any more
sign we got a new finish, a thousand US.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
I'm going to, yes, go, I'm going to I want
to know your top four players of all time?
Speaker 2 (35:45):
It's on your mind, four players all time? Peter Roman,
take that?
Speaker 1 (35:52):
I you know what again, I've just met so many
Grays players and so many just great people.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
I couldn't never pick for okay, I couldn't. I couldn't
do it. I like it. Thank you. You're a busy man.
Is super Bowl your assistant, She's trying to get you
to go. This dude will talk all day. Appreciate you
from coming out to the shaking guys. Always a blessed
to have you. Appreciate you, commission.
Speaker 3 (36:17):
I appreciate it man and all honesty. Having you here
is almost like making our very first Pro Bowl. You
have officially like made us official. So thank you for
having us. Just thank you guys for coming. Man. Everybody
that looks watches continue to do that. Roger Dell is here.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
That means we are official. Here, we have made it.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Aka Tilman, thank you so much. Wherever you listen to us,
pick us up on your podcast with us Apple podcast, iHeartRadio.
Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend.
Give us a five star rating. Thank you, give us
a review, hit follow Peanut, get us ap out of here, man,
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Hey, we out cut out. It's around. We're done. You
guys are good man
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.