Every year in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, reporters from across the country have the opportunity to ask Roger Goodell a series of questions at the NFL Commissioner’s annual press conference. This year, which was held by invitation only and just before the Super Bowl, Opening nightGoodell again touched on a variety of league-related topics.
Goodell spoke about the the positive impact Taylor Swift had on the NFLstemming from the Grammy Award-winning artist’s relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Goodell also announced that the Philadelphia Eagles would be the home team for the First NFL game in Brazil during week 1 of the 2025 season.
While those two points were the main highlights of the press conference, Goodell touched on a series of topics, which we’ll highlight below.
The Future of Kickoff
Over the past few decades, the game has evolved and the kickoff has become a symbolic play rather than a truly meaningful action in the NFL. But Goodell, who oversaw a change this season to allow fair receptions on kickoffs, doesn’t want to see the play disappear.
“I thought this rule was necessary for this year because we have to innovate,” Goodell said, by Pro Football Talk“We have to find a way to keep the kickoff in the game. It’s an exciting play, it’s important for us, as are punts, but when you see a higher injury rate for that play, you can’t ignore it.”
Sports betting legalized
The NFL has come full circle with its relationship with gambling as it prepares to host the Super Bowl in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas. With legalized sports betting rapidly expanding across the country and being welcomed by the league, Goodell stressed that maintaining the level of play is of the utmost importance. The NFL also sent a memo to all 32 teams this week to tighten gambling policies ahead of the Super Bowl.
“The integrity of our game is critical. So we spend a lot of time focusing on that, educating, making sure all of our staff are aware of our playing policies, in this case or any other policies that may affect the integrity of our game,” Goodell said. via NFL.com“So ultimately, that’s our primary job. This week, coming here, we wanted to make sure that – not just the two teams, but all the other clubs that would probably have representatives here – we wanted to make sure that they understood it, our league staff and everybody, so that they understood exactly what our policies were here. They all understand the importance of it. We clarified our policy earlier this year, and it was to put the importance on our players betting on NFL games or on inside information or on anything that could negatively impact the integrity of our game, which is absolutely prohibited.”
Arbitration
As is the case almost every year, the NFL and its officials have come under intense scrutiny this season and have been a major topic of conversation among fans and talking heads alike. While some viral moments have cast officials in a negative light — like the Taylor Decker incident on New Year’s Eve — Goodell praised the way referees were able to officiate games in 2023.
“I think in the NFL the level of scrutiny is at the highest level I’ve ever seen,” Goodell said, via NFL.com“It’s part of our popularity. I understand that. It’s part of the technology. You all do a great job, you see more things than you could ever see in refereeing. The game is faster. I think our referees do a great job. They’re superior. But at the end of the day, nobody’s perfect. Whether it’s all of us watching the games or playing the games, coaching the games or being the referees, we have to continue to try to get better. We have to work to use technology where we can to try to improve their performance. Let them use technology to make sure they get the right answer. I think they do an incredible job, but we’re going to continue to work to get better, ultimately.”
Goodell preached that consistency was the officials’ No. 1 goal, while praising them for enduring criticism after the Chiefs’ Week 14 loss to the Bills, where they correctly flagged receiver Kadarius Toney for an offsides lineup that erased what would have been a key touchdown.
“It’s a great example of the scrutiny and the position that our officials are in,” Goodell said. “It was absolutely the right call. I don’t think there’s anybody in this room that would say it’s not the right call. The official made the right call. There’s been some criticism of that that was unfounded. If they hadn’t called that play, imagine the criticism that would have come out of Buffalo. So even when the official is right, there’s criticism. While we’re always going to try to get better, I think people have to understand to some extent how these officials are put in that position.”
2024 recruitment cycle
Goodell was pleased that four of the eight head coaching vacancies in the 2024 hiring cycle went to minority candidates, but also acknowledged there is still room for growth.
“We still have a lot of work to do. We’re not satisfied with where we are right now,” Goodell said. “We think diversity is very good for us as a league. It’s made us better. It’s provided opportunities for talented people. I think the hiring cycle has been obviously encouraging from a head coaching perspective. As you point out, we’re not just looking at it at the head coaching level or the offensive coordinator level, we’re looking at it holistically. We’re looking at it from the coaching staff to the owners, the presidents and the general managers. And we’ve seen tremendous progress in all of that. And that’s the effort that we’ve made with our clubs. I give our clubs tremendous credit.”
“The process of recruiting head coaches and general managers this year was very thorough and very professional. I think the one-week delay gave the teams a chance to do that. I don’t think people think about our recruiting cycle — every one of these teams is competing with somebody else and another team. Sometimes you get in that rush. I don’t think people felt that. I think they took their time. They understood the candidates. They did a great job interviewing them. We had panels, we had training, I think the accelerator program, all the things that have been done by the clubs over the last few years have paid off. And we’re going to continue to do that.”
Playing surfaces
The debate between playing on grass and playing on artificial turf seems to have gained momentum this year. Of course, player safety is the league’s top priority and Goodell is aiming for consistency from week to week, but he also wants to find innovative solutions to address the issue.
“That’s been a major concern of the Players’ Association, and we’ve been working with experts to try to study that,” Goodell said. “It’s not always just grass or synthetic. We think hybrid is something to explore. That’s what they use in international soccer, it’s a hybrid type format. Also, I think we have to look at different circumstances, right? You’re playing in a dome for four and a half months, it’s pretty difficult to grow grass. You can bring it in and take it out sometimes. You can find a way to try to replace it. But we want to try to get the best possible pitch surfaces, and that’s something that varies from market to market, from climate to climate. One of the things that we think is very important, and the studies we do, is consistency. And when I say consistency, it’s not just across the playing surface, but it’s the consistency of what players play on in the week leading up to the game. What they train on and what they play on. That consistency is really important, according to our engineers and our experts. So we’re looking at that with the Players’ Association and hopefully we can find better solutions and continue that momentum.”
Monday, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones The 49ers were unhappy with their playing surface while practicing for Super Bowl LVIII at UNLV. Goodell noted that the playing surface was unanimously approved.
“That work is being done every day,” he said. “We had 23 experts on site. We had the union on site. They all think it’s a very playable surface. It’s softer than what they’ve been training on, but that happens. It’s well within our testing standards. We think all of our experts, as well as the neutral field inspectors, have all unanimously said it’s a playable surface.”
The Super Bowl will not be a streaming-only event
As streaming becomes more and more popular and the primary way for some to watch TV, it’s fair to say whether the NFL will fully embrace streaming at some point. Of course, streaming is already a staple of the league (you can watch Super Bowl LVIII on Paramount+), but it mostly ran alongside a linear television network. However, the NFL did stream an exclusive playoff game this year on NBC’s Peacock. So will the Super Bowl ever become a streaming-only event?
“Certainly not in my day,” Goodell said. when asked if this possibility was possible“I still believe that one of the secrets of our success is our real commitment to television broadcasting. Ninety percent of our games are broadcast live and free to air on television.”
