12:45 p.m.
Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, says that the league will take discrimination seriously if it finds that any teams have violated this principle.
Goodell stated that “we won’t tolerate racism.” We will not tolerate discrimination.”
Goodell said that the league would examine any changes to policies after an offseason in which the number of minority coaches had not increased.
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12:45 p.m.
Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, defended the league by using an oral report of an outside investigator into the Washington Football Club.
Goodell didn’t answer the question about whether the results of the investigation into Dan Snyder, the owner of Washington Commanders, will be published in a written report.
According to the commissioner, the oral report was used to ensure that anyone who wanted privacy with investigators would be protected. Goodell claims that the “vast majority of” people participated in the investigation knowing that their names would not become public. He said that those who were willing to testify in public at Congress last week.
Goodell stated that the NFL has accepted all recommendations of the investigator in the oral report. Washington also has a system to check for any changes.
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12:45 p.m.
Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, says he takes responsibility for the league’s failures to improve diversity in coaching and other top-ranking positions within the league.
Goodell claims that there has not been a topic that has been discussed more often in the league over the past five year than increasing diversity.
Goodell believes the league must do everything possible to become more successful.
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12:40 p.m.
Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that personal conduct is applicable to all NFL players and that there are people who make bad decisions in other markets.
Alvin Kamara, a New Orleans running back, was arrested following the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas last week. The Las Vegas Raiders also had several incidents this season with players.
Goodell claims that the NFL’s security staff was contacted in Las Vegas by the police just before the Pro Bowl. The security team was told by police that they wanted to meet Kamara after the game. Goodell claims that the security team did what was asked by police and made sure that it happened.
Kamara is now out of jail following his arrest over the weekend for a felony allegation that he beat and hurt a person in a Las Vegas nightclub.
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12:35 p.m.
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, says he met with Byron Allen, a media mogul, about his interest to buy the Denver Broncos. He also expressed concern over the lack of diversity in ownership.
There are no majority Black owners in the NFL. The Bills have Shad Khan in Jacksonville, and Kim Pegula who co-owns them with her husband.
Goodell claims that there are also minority candidates who are interested in purchasing teams.
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12:35 p.m.
Roger Goodell believes that the NFL must maintain integrity.
The NFL commissioner has said that it will investigate the allegations of former Miami coach Brian Flores in his lawsuit alleging racism within the league. Stephen Ross, the Dolphins’ owner, offered Flores $100,000 per game to lose in 2019 in order to improve the team’s draft standing. Goodell insists that any violation will not be tolerated. He said he wouldn’t speculate, but wants to find out the facts. Goodell assures them that they will take any such issues seriously.
Goodell said that if an owner is asked if he could force a sale of a team, he believes that the league’s individual club owners have the authority to remove an owner.
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12:30 p.m.
Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, says that the league is not doing enough to increase diversity in high-ranking positions in teams and the league.
Goodell said that the league values diversity and has strengthened the league. Goodell said that the league will continue to look for ways to improve policies and procedures to ensure the league attracts the best talent.
After a lawsuit alleging that former Miami coach Brian Flores had used racism to hire staff, the league was under fire.
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12:30 p.m.
Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL, says that the NFL must understand the circumstances surrounding the alleged sexual harassment perpetrated by Daniel Snyder, Washington Commanders’ owner.
Hours after Washington claimed that the NFL had hired an external investigator to investigate allegations made by Tiffani Johnston, a former employee of the NFL, the NFL announced. She claimed that Snyder had rubbed her thigh during a team dinner, and then pushed her towards his limousine with his hand on his lower back.
Goodell claims that the investigation will take this matter seriously to ensure the NFL maintains the culture it wants. He said he does not see how a team could investigate themselves and that the league would use an outside expert. He said they would take this seriously and move on.
Also, Snyder was asked whether he tried to prevent any details being released from an earlier Washington investigation. Goodell said he could not explain the legal agreement but insisted that he did not interfere with any NFL actions regarding the investigation or the outcome.
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12:25 p.m.
Next season, the NFL will host a regular-season match in Munich, Germany.
Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the news during his annual Super Bowl news conference.
After years of playing only games that count in England, the league has now expanded its European reach. The 2022 game is part of a series that includes four games played overseas, as well as London-based games.
Over the next four seasons, there will be an additional game in Munich as well as two in Frankfurt.
The schedule will be released in spring and the participating teams will be announced.
Goodell said that the league would return to Mexico City for next season.
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12:20 p.m.
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, says it’s “surreal”, to be back in Los Angeles for the Super Bowl after so many years without a team in the country’s second-largest city.
In 2016, the NFL returned to Los Angeles and SoFi Stadium was opened as the home of the Rams and Chargers. Goodell believes that Los Angeles will become a regular Super Bowl stop because of its state-of the-art stadium.
The Super Bowls in Arizona, Las Vegas, and New Orleans will be the next three.
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12:15 p.m.
Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL, says that the NFL cannot yet draw conclusions about whether the interview process was flawed in its attempt to increase minority coaches.
Goodell believes that the NFL should not draw conclusions without first looking at the process. He said he didn’t believe they could take anything from the table. He says that if the process is flawed, the league should fix it.
He noted that the NFL had created a database which provided information to owners on a wide range of candidates. He said that the NFL had looked into the matter. He said he’s not taking anything off the table, and he believes that outside experts can be very beneficial to the league.
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12:10 p.m.
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, says he is frustrated by the fact that there are still questions regarding diversity in the hiring of coaches and executives, despite all efforts to improve.
Goodell claims that the league fell short in its efforts to increase the number of minority head coach this offseason. The league has only five minority coaches, despite two of them being fired and two of them being hired this season.
Goodell said that the league will hire experts to examine the Rooney Rule, as well as other policies, to determine what the league can do in order to increase minority hiring.
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11:40 a.m.
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, is getting ready for his annual Super Bowl news conference. The NFL will be facing questions about diversity and women’s treatment in coaching.
Brian Flores, a former Miami Dolphins coach, has filed a lawsuit against the league. He alleged that there were racist hiring practices among coaches and general managers. The league claims it is still “rife” with racism, even though it publicly condemns it.
After the most recent hiring season, five of the NFL’s minority coaches remain.
The league also took over the investigation into the alleged sexual harassment of Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder. It stated that the league and not the team will hire an investigator.
