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.
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