NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was profiled on CBS’ “60 Minutes” last night, with CBS’ Steve Kroft saying, “There are only two institutions in this country with the power to create almost limitless amounts of money. One is the Federal Reserve. The other is the National Football League.” Kroft asked Goodell, “How much power do you have?” Goodell replied, “I don’t look at it in those terms. I have to make a lot of decisions that aren’t in the best interest of individuals, whether they be owners, club executives, players. But I have to make sure the integrity of the game is protected at all times.” Kroft noted Goodell is “CEO, negotiator, arbitrator, disciplinarian, enforcer, cheerleader, custodian of a national pastime and no one’s errand boy.” Goodell said when he has to take action against an owner or suspend a player, the owners “don’t like it, but they also understand my responsibilities." Goodell: "I don’t expect to try to get people to like everything I do. I want them to respect what I do.” Kroft noted that in the NFL’s new TV contracts, Goodell “managed to wring more money out of the deal than most people thought possible.” Kroft said to Goodell, “I hear you’re a pretty tough customer. I hear that you can be cold, confrontational if necessary.” Goodell: “I think you have to be in this job from time to time. I take my responsibilities very seriously and I want to make the league better, and to do that you can’t make everybody happy.” Walking through the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium prior to the Ravens-Texans Divisional playoff game, Kroft said, “This is a completely different experience than sitting at home and watching it on TV.” Goodell: “That’s part of our biggest challenge going forward is how do we get people to come to our stadiums and experience the stadium because the experience is so great at home” (“60 Minutes,” CBS, 1/29). ESPN’s Mike Greenberg said, "It was an excellent interview by Steve Kroft” ("Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN Radio, 1/30).
TESTING GROUND: In N.Y., Judy Battista cited sources as saying that the NFL and the NFLPA -- "deadlocked during the regular season over the implementation of blood testing for human growth hormone -- have made progress in discussions over the last few weeks, creating the possibility that testing of players will begin during the off-season." No deal is "imminent, and there is no expectation that an agreement will be announced" when Goodell and NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith hold separate news conferences this week leading to the Super Bowl (N.Y. TIMES, 1/29).
