NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL WITH BOOMER ESIASON AND CRAIG CARTON

From NFL Media.com

NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL

WITH BOOMER ESIASON AND CRAIG CARTON

WFAN Radio – September 3, 2008


Q: Welcome back to the show, Roger. How are you doing?


Commissioner Goodell: Great, Craig. It’s good to be with you.

On thoughts about Gene Upshaw’s death:

It was a sad day. We had a memorial service for him in Washington yesterday and it was a terrific service for a terrific man. I’ve said many times that I don’t know if there are many people who have contributed more to football as an individual, both as a player and as the NFLPA executive director. He’s done great things for football and it was a sad day for all of us.

On how Upshaw’s death will affect labor peace and negotiations with the NFLPA:

I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it because we’ve been so focused on losing a great man, but he clearly is going to leave a void because of the great leadership Gene had provided. On the other hand, he’s created a tremendous organization in the NFLPA. They represent the players extremely well; they’re going through the process to select a successor to Gene. I’m sure they will find someone who is very capable and we’ll sit down at the table and discuss it. As you mentioned, we have some time here. This is not a focus for fans in the short term, I’m confident we’ll be able to sit down at the table and get these issues resolved.

On what types of activities are going on before the game as part of the spectacle that is Kickoff Weekend:

Boomer, you know we don’t do anything small in the NFL and tomorrow is no exception to that. We’re having a big event in Columbus Circle; there will be free football and a music event. We’ll have Usher, Keith Urban, Natasha Bedingfield and a lot of great Hall of Famers, a lot of great Jets and Giants on hand to celebrate the return of football and the kickoff to the 2008 season.

Do you get giddy like a fan on the eve of the opening game or is it too business-like for you?

Absolutely, I’m still a fan at heart. I’ve been thinking about this for the last several months. The buildup to the season is always great for us; we have great stories coming into the season and I have no doubt it is going to be an even better season than last year, and that is a hard mark to beat. I have as much enthusiasm and excitement as every other fan.

On Brett Favre in a New York Jets uniform:

It is great to see Brett back playing football. When he retired in February everybody knew they were going to miss a great player and when he decided to come back and play it was great for the NFL and the Jets were the beneficiary of that. This year they have the opportunity to have #4 playing in the Jets’ green and that is great for Jets fans and it is great for all football fans because it will be something wonderful for them to follow.

On role in Brett’s return to the Packers and NFL:

It wasn’t particularly difficult, Craig. My job as commissioner is to make sure that all of our rules are followed. Brett had rights as a player who wanted to continue his playing career and the Packers had right also and I just wanted to make sure those were respected. Eventually they got together and resolved that it was better for Brett to move on. They went and had discussions with a number of teams and the Jets ended up being the winner for Brett. I think that is great for all of our fans and I think it may end up being one of those circumstances that turns out to be great for Packers fans and for Jets fans.

From a commissioner’s standpoint, do you prefer the story of a player playing almost his entire career with one team and retiring with that team?

You’re right, there aren’t many players that have greater credibility and reputation as Brett Favre does both on and off the field. I would only argue this point: having Brett Favre on the field and having our fans have an opportunity to enjoy the way he plays the game, which as you know has genuine excitement and enthusiasm, I think that is great for a fan. I may disagree from the standpoint of seeing him retire. It’s great that he is still playing football and we’re glad to see him back on the field.

On the fan conduct policy:

First off, it was not a reaction to the Jets’ circumstances. This is something we have been looking at for the past couple of years. It is something we have heard from our fans about, and the core issue that we are trying to address here is to allow anyone to come to an NFL stadium and enjoy the experience and not have it ruined by somebody else. We want people to come and have a good time. We’re not trying to create an atmosphere that lacks in enthusiasm. We’re trying to create an atmosphere where everyone in the stadium is enjoying themselves and can bring anyone they want to the stadium knowing they are going to have a positive experience.

I’m comfortable that that is going to happen and each club is going to deal with it in their own way because it is different in each community.

On whether this policy is in response to what other fans have asked you to do based on their in-game experiences:

That is absolutely right, Boomer. It is something I’ve heard consistently from fans, that it is getting harder and harder for them to go to the stadium because of the behavior of some of the other fans. It is a very limited number of fans that behave in that fashion. We want to make sure we say to those individuals, “Listen, you have to come and enjoy the experience responsibly, and don’t ruin it for others.”

On tailgating:

Craig, nobody tried to say we’re getting rid of tailgating. Let’s try to keep this in perspective here. We’re not suggesting that you’re going to stop enjoying yourself going to the stadium and that you’re not going to stand up and show a lot of enthusiasm. That is an overstatement and it is just not fair.

On the Personal Conduct Policy and if it will lead to fewer off-field problems now:

I certainly hope so. We have 2,000 young men and almost every one of them are outstanding young men, as both you and Boomer know. You always have a few guys that just don’t understand their responsibility as NFL players and their roles as players in their communities. It’s something that we thought was important to do because most of our players – virtually all of them – are doing great things in the community, and the ones that aren’t reflect poorly on them as a group, and on the NFL. So I think it’s something that was important for us to do, and I do believe our players understand it and support it. They were part of developing the policy and I think it’ll have a positive impact, but this is something that will take some period of time to get through because it’s got to reach everybody – not only NFL players, but every college player and every high school player so they know if they want to play at this level, you’re going to have to represent the league and your team and your community in a positive way.

On the situation in New Orleans and the Saints playing their home opener Sunday in the Super Dome:

Yes, the Super Dome came through with very minor damage. They’re still working on getting electricity back, but we are going to be playing the game as scheduled – 12 pm local time, 1 pm east coast time. It should be an exciting start for them because it represents so much to that community and it represents so much the spirit of those people in that community and how they continue to come back from Hurricane Katrina, and certainly now with the latest incidents, they really have just done themselves proud. We’re happy to be part of that celebration to show that New Orleans is going to continue to be a great community.

On the use of PSLs with many new stadiums:

I’m not offended by them. In fact, I think more customers are starting to understand there’s value to the PSLs. This is something now that they own and they can sell that at some point in the future if they so desire and get value for that. The experience we’ve had in other communities is that the PSL was actually a benefit to the fans, and also, it’s a way to get new stadiums built and it’s been effective in other communities. This is a privately funded stadium. You know the price tag, and it’s an expensive project, and this is a way to try to close that gap.

On whether there is a concern that this will price out blue-collar fans:

Yes, absolutely. I think it concerns our teams, too. I think both the Jets and the Giants have been very sensitive to that. They’re taking different approaches to how they’re pricing PSLs, but they’re both very concerned with that and making sure that their fans can continue to come to the stadium and support both teams. I think that’s something you always have to be concerned with. You always have to recognize that it’s a heavy load for consumers, and it’s a great piece of entertainment, but you want to make sure everyone has that same access.

# # #

NFL Kick Off Show Broadcast Live from World Financial Center

Thursday September 4, 2008 is NFL Kickoff Night. To celebrate the return of Football Season, SouthWestNY Restaurant, located at 225 Liberty St./2 World Financial Center will host the Football Reporters Online (FRO) NFL Kickoff Show from 5:30pm-7pm. The staff of FRO, who have well over 100 years of “Football Experience” between them will be broadcasting a live Internet radio show @ www.Blogtalkradio.com/FootballReporters.

Why deal with the crowds at Columbus Circle for the NFL’s “Kick Off Party”?? If your not going to the Game – come on down to SouthWestNY and take part in our Live Show!

This broadcast will be available for download on iTunes after the show. Go to http://www.southwestny.com/ for the menu and directions

"Jarod Allred - Military vs. Professional Sports: On Caleb Campbell

First of all let me get this off my head, I want to say something to all the kids who would like to play professional sports, do not join any branch of the military if you think your good enough to play professional sports. Take it from Caleb Campbell, you can't change your mind once you join the military, it's too late for that. Caleb Campbell should have seen this coming and he should have known that the military comes first and no one is immune to the deployment bug. The military doesn't run it's ship like the NFL, NBA, or MLB. They have INTEGRITY.

Unlike professional sports teams, when you sign that military contract your held to it to the highest standard. Businesses and professional sports teams could learn something from the military. I mean how many times have you heard about someone trying to get out of their contract early because they want to work somewhere else, or because they want more pay. If I would have acted like Bobby Petrino, or Nick Saban and bailed out of my contract to go somewhere else I would have ended up in jail. Maybe we should make that a punishment for contract violations in all businesses.

I do feel bad for Caleb because the military gave him the assumption that he would be allowed to play football even though he is under a military contract. They even let him enter the draft and was drafted in the 7th round by the Detroit Lions in the 2008 NFL draft. He was one day away from starting practice. The military dropped the ball on this subject. They should have told him from the beginning that he wouldn't be allowed to join the NFL due to his military contract. I understand they thought it would be a great recruiting tool, but let the recruiters deal with that impossible task. But to the kids who think they might have a good shot at making the NFL, please don't join any branch of the military or this could happen to you. Give Caleb credit though, he took it like a man and went on about his business, here is what he had to say, "When I got drafted, I told people that I was going to have the best of both worlds," Campbell said. "I was going to be in the United States Army and I was going to have a chance to play professional football. Now, I have the best of one world and I'm very positive about that. It's all going to work out. "I'm in great shape and I'm going to stay in great shape. I'm going to fulfil my duty to the United States Army and do what I've got to do. One day, hopefully I'll get another opportunity to play in the NFL."

Brett Favre To Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFL Network

Brett Favre To Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFL Network

According to NFL Network, there's a good chance that Green Bay Packers quarterback Bret Farve is going to be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within 24 hours. So Mark September 28th, 2008 as a day for the Bret Farve Day Against Green Bay. What a story, especially if he wins and wins big.

The Commish Speaks on rookie salaries

Goodell speaks out on rookie salaries By Ralph Garcia for Football Reporters Online 8/1/08

Several weeks back, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made his feelings about the rookie pay scale known. He called it ridiculous and rightfully so. Well no kidding commish. I like that he mentions a system where the younger players can renegotiate their contracts after they have proven themselves.

He made another great point when he said that when the last CBA was approved no one took into consideration the hit the economy would take. The affect it had later has made us want for the old days. We need to get back to the days where a player would earn his money by his play. Now these days we are losing core players. Players that have taken these teams to playoffs and made their mark in the league are being lost to the salary given to unproven talent.

In the past you would have to work hard to earn your pay and now all you have to do is have a great college career and you are set for life. Forget the player that has settled his family in a city and then has to move on a couple of years later due to the cap. So a big applause to the commish and lets hope something can be worked out where the rookies get their money and those who have worked for theirs get paid right then and there. Where you earn your keep and not get paid for what you have not earned yet.

The Scheme in Team Salary

The Scheme in Team Salary

July 31, 2008

By Slavica Milosevska for Football Reporters Online

Since Walter Camp in 1867 established a simple game of football to just play for fun, nothing about it has been the same. Point rules, regulations, salaries and politics have grown into what is now the NFL. William Pudge Heffelfinger was the first man to be paid to play the game for $500 in 1892, then in 1893, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club signed Grant Dibert to the first known contract. Nearly thirty years later in 1920, the first APFA trade was Arkon's Bob Nash to Buffalo for $300 and 5% of all gate receipts. These first timers helped set a precedent for the intricate scheme of revenues and team salaries.
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) was founded in 1956 when players demanded a minimum league-wide salary and fair benefits. Owners ignored these requests, leading to an antitrust lawsuit in the United States Supreme Court forcing owners to oblige but they still managed to deviate from a CBA, leaving players unsatisfied. The 1982 strike finally led to the ratification of the CBA that lasted until 1987. The NFL and the NFLPA officially signed another seven year CBA in 1993 that has been extended and amended for over two decades. The 2010 season will be uncapped and free agency restrictions are applied because it will be the Final League Year (FLY) of the CBA. Would we see a similar antitrust suit and strike in 2011?
The upcoming FLY was supposed to be in 2012. Owners shortened the 2006 six-year CBA extension to after the 2010 season. To cut costs, owners could attempt locking out players in 2011 to eliminate free agency with its payouts. Clubs would not be required to monetarily support different benefit programs. NFLPA's Executive Director Gene Upshaw predicts that when there is an uncapped season, the salary cap would never come back. A football hierarchy could approach when wealthier teams obtain better athletes and make higher revenues than the less fortunate teams. However, the threat of a lawsuit or strike could rectify something amenable to players.
For the last two years, the salary cap has risen $7 million annually making the 2008 season's hard cap $116,729,000 million. The 2009 cap is already set at $123 million. The cap is just under 60% of all 32 team's total revenue during a League Year including earnings from ticket and merchandise sales, TV contracts, naming rights and local advertising. Coaches, assistants, trainers or associates do not fall under team salary. We all know that players are paid more than handsomely for the love of playing football. In a recent interview, Chicago Bears DT Tommie Harris spoke about players being undeserving because as he put it, “we play a kids game and we get paid a king's ransom.”
An NFL game alone has the most turn out rate of 67,000 attendees in comparison to other American professional sports leagues. Since football has fewer games per season compared to other sports, the total revenue for NFL games in only 20% of baseball, which has a much longer season but less of an average per game crowd. If there were a lockout or strike, teams would lose much more money for missed games because the NFL is so profitable.
Teams still exceed the cap due to rising salaries, but clubs have means of outwitting the system. For instance, signing bonuses do not count toward the cap, so giving a new player a grand signing bonus really enables more cap room for the rest of the team. A signing bonus is given the first year, however it is prorated in the salary cap over the contract length. Team owners can spend more in the cap this way for other players.
One problem for the owners is that if a player is cut or traded the bonus cash is no longer prorated and must be paid in full that year which will count under the cap. Salary is back-ended meaning a player gradually receives more money each year and the most loot in the last year or two of their contract. In the latter, this is when owners will drop players to save money and spend a ridiculous amount of money to sign a rookie with no pro league experience.

Players deserve more compensation year after year for ongoing injuries and risks they impose on their bodies, not to get kicked to the curb. The NFL teams won't stop milking that cap for whatever its worth and not sharing with vets who were their backbone. NFL owners like to say the cap allots teams to sustain their best veterans, but these days, we see rookies with higher pay. Where else have you seen a new employee acquire more compensation than his established co-worker with a job akin?

The Indianapolis Colts owners are the most generous to its veterans according to their positions. In 2007, DE Dwight Freeney signed a $72 million contract with $30 million guaranteed after his rookie contract expired. Freeney played in the pros for five years to deserve this amount when rookie QB Matt Ryan stumbles onto the Atlanta Falcons with guarantees of $34.75 million and also a $72 million deal.

You may say that QBs are generally paid more than DEs.
Well then, look at fellow Falcon teammate QB Joey Harrington's deal. This will be his seventh year in the NFL. He originally signed a two year $6 million deal in 2007, however they cut his salary to adjust the cap for the draft. Harrington was to receive $2.5 million in his second and final season, but the salary cut left him $1 million, a $700,000 base and $300,000 bonus. Here are some other contracts to look at. LT Jake Long was the first draft pick signing on with the Miami Dolphins for $57.75 million and $30 guaranteed. Fourth pick RB Darren McFadden has $26 million in guarantees and a $60 million deal with the Oakland Raiders.

It seems easier for owners to hand over $30 million in guarantees to rookies. Promising veterans are being dropped to stay under the cap. Upshaw doesn't believe in having a salary cap on rookies. Players negotiate their salaries based on a cap within a cap. Under the Rookie Pool this year, the entire league's available cap money is $140 million or 2% of total revenues. The first round pick is paid the highest amount unlike later round draft picks because they are working under a limited budget. Rookie salary also depends on contract length, so the first 16 picks of first-round draft obtain a six-year contract in contrast to second half of first round picks that get a maximum of 5 years. All others sign for a maximum of 4 years. Rookies can negotiate performance incentives to escalate salary as well. The CBA has guidelines for this not to be deducted from the overall Rookie Pool.

The guidelines do not apply with the CBA out of the picture. When 2011 rolls around, many issues would arise for everyone involved in the NLF. More than 60% of total revenues could go to players. Owners could stock up on players and would be free to spend without restrictions. Rookie contracts would go up even though that has been constant. Revenue sharing would no longer disperse equally throughout all 32 teams, so clubs with the most leverage could have better players and be more profitable. Since football is such a large part of the American culture and the NFL is a jackpot and with the greed in the business associates, a strike is unlikely.

NFL Hall Of Fame Day: Art Monk, Fred Dean, Emmitt Thomas, Gary Zimmerman, Darrel Green

NFL Hall Of Fame Days is always a moving event, and 2008 is no exception. Today, Art Monk, Fred Dean, Emmitt Thomas, Gary Zimmerman, Darrel Green are being inducted into Canton. I'm watching it now on NFL Network.

Will Leitch Departs Deadspin to Join New York Magazine

Will Leitch Leaving Deadspin to Join New York Magazine

One of our first major linkers and now Facebook Friend Deadspin founder and editor Will Leich is leaving that online sports publication to join the New York Magazine as contributing editor.

Good Luck Will, but you're not really leaving at all. Still, it seems that perhaps, like me, this whole political revolution thing has drawn you away from sports. Funny how that works

Oakland Raiders Heaquarters In Alameda, California

Raiders
Originally uploaded by jobyyboj

This is a photo of the Oakland Raiders headquarters in Alameda, California. It's at 1200 Harbor Bay Parkway. The facility was acquired with the help of a $10 million "loan" from the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda as part of what's now called "The Raiders Deal."

Brett Farve Should Remain Retired; Give Aaron Rogers A Chance

The news is all over the place regarding Brett Farve's rumored return to play in the NFL. But look, we've seen this dance before and frankly I'm tired of it.

Look, I've cried twice thinking that was the end of the line for this great legend of the game. But geez, can't we get a chance to miss Brett and wonder what if, rather than see him step on the field and perhaps not do well?

What's the point? To prove that one can play until their 50? To test the benefits of Viagra? I'm curious. What's the deal? Is it the money? Or just the plain love of being cheered and admired.

I think that's it.

Regardless. I can see the late Coach Walsh now, looking down from Heaven and thinking, "If I were there, I'd have cut him two years ago. What's going on with the Packers?"

Indeed, that's what we're all wondering.

Brett, let this tribute stand:

Leigh Steinberg's 22nd Super Bowl Party: Scottsdale, AZ - Video

This is the video account of Leigh Steinberg's 22nd Super Bowl Party. This one held at the Botanical Gardens outside Scottsdale, Arizona. The video features an interview with Leigh where he talks about the "Green Initiative" he's started, Ricky Williams, and "Athletes for Obama."

Oakland Raiders Talking With City - City Attorney John Russo Interview

I met with Oakland's elected City Attorney and my friend John Russo the day after election day to talk about his unopposed win for a third term, how Oakland has changed, Oakland Politics and the District Three Council race, who Senator Obama should pick as his VP, what Russo's is proudest of with the evolution of his office, and the talks between the City of Oakland and the Oakland Raiders.

Russo explains that the talks are between the Raiders and the Oakland / Alameda County Joint Powers Authority and that they're going well. He also confirmed that Raiders Manager of The General Partner Al Davis is not in good health and has not attended all of the meeting. As to the possibility that the Raiders would get a new stadium, he said no, but they're in agreement on the matters of concern to the Raiders.

Given what I know from trying to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland (we lost to Jacksonville), that means we should expect to see an upgraded Coliseum at some point in the future.

What was surprising news was that the Raiders were the party that initiated the talks, and not the City of Oakland or The County of Alameda. I personally feel that's a signal of the Raiders new willingness to work with the City and stay in Oakland.

Also, we talk about why he ran unopposed and how Oakland's political landscape has changed.