Roger Goodell Super Bowl News Conference Upsets Some Before It Even Begins

LAS VEGAS – Roger Goodell spent his state of the NFL news conference Monday addressing and embracing the "progress" the NFL is making in continuing to hire minority individuals, defending the league's officiating and "integrity of the game" and defending the streaming of a playoff game.

Those were the serious issues the commissioner addressed in his 50-plus minute availability to invited media that didn't include the fluff stuff such as the "Taylor Swift effect."

On the issue of race 

Goodell was asked at least half-a-dozen questions about the league's hiring practices as they relate to the addition of minority (the league calls them diverse) candidates in position of coaching and even in ownership.

This hiring cycle with eight head coach openings, NFL teams hired four white men, three black men and a white Hispanic. So 50 percent of the openings were filled by "diverse" candidates.

"We're not satisfied where we are," Goodell said relating to all the league's hiring.

Goodell was asked if the Rooney Rule, which mandates the inclusion of at least two "diverse" candidates be included in the interview process, has run its usefulness course since all teams interview "diverse" candidates anyway.

"It being not necessary would be a wonderful world," Goodell said. "I still think it's necessary."

And Goodell added it would remain "for the foreseeable future."

Goodell later showed pride in the fact that for the first time in its history the NFL is a minority majority league in that 51% of employees that work for the league are either people of color or woman.

This, of course, does not reflect the country where a vast majority of the population is white.  

Goodell addresses officiating, technology

Goodell talked about the importance of the "integrity of the game" as the league's "No. 1 priority."

And obviously the inconsistency of officiating came into play there. Goodell defended the league's officiating overall, but unlike previous years when he stood his ground on saying officiating was good, he used a more nuanced approach this year.

"I think out officials do a great job," Goodell said. "They are superior. But at the end of the day, no one's perfect.

"We have to continue to get it better."

Goodell said one way to do that was to use technology "where we can."

Goodell defended the idea of having the playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs exclusively streamed on Peacock – the first time a postseason game is not broadcast over free or cable television.

Goodell called it "progress" and "innovation" to use the streaming platform. He says the window the game was played saw increased viewership from the same window last season.

And he added those viewers averaged 10 years younger.

"Our fans are on these platforms," Goodell said. "We have to fish where the fish are."

Goodell did stop short of saying the NFL will ever stream the Super Bowl.

"Not in my time," he said.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 05: Reporter Tracy Wolfson (L) interviews NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 05, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Timing of Goodell's news conference

All of these issues have people that feel somehow aggrieved. There are folks who hate the idea of paying a streaming service to watch and NFL game. There are people who believe the NFL needs to hire more minorities. Or more white people. 

There are people who don't buy the NFL's officiating is anywhere near good. 

Everyone has a gripe and this year Goodell added some journalists to the group of upset folks. (Yeah, like anyone cares how journalists feel). 

The timing of the news conference was different from past years. It happened the first day of the Super Bowl week and the commissioner has usually done his presser much later. This and the fact the league made the event available to reporters by invitation drew complaints from the Professional Football Writers Association.

The NFL's explanation for the timing changing this year was to serve as a kickoff to Super Bowl week. Fair enough.

The PFWA had no major gripe about that. The small issue the association had was not being consulted on the issue, which is ridiculous because since when do journalists help decide when press conferences occur.

The greater issues was the by-invitation-only part. The league has been limiting Goodell's Super Bowl pressers to invitation only availabilities since 2021 and as a result of Covid.

That has continued although this year's number of invitees – limited to around 125 was considered a low mark.

"We believe any news conference involving the commissioner should be open to all media credentialed for the Super Bowl," PFWA president Calvin Watkins said in an email to his membership. "The objective is to have everyone ask a question of the commissioner regardless if they’re a national or beat writer.

"Hopefully in the future we can expand the list of invited media members from nearly 125 to more."