State Of The League: NFL Committed To Toronto, Eyeing Mexico

Goodell Says Bills Toronto Series Ticket Prices Will Be Reviewed Prior To Next Season

RELATIONSHIP WITH CFL OKAY: The NFL and CFL currently do not have a working agreement, but Goodell Friday said the two sides have a "great relationship." Goodell: "We had long negotiations with them and they determined in their best interests that they did not need an alliance or any type of formal arrangement. We will continue to do what's in the best interest of football. We would love to see our CFL partners be successful and we'll continue to communicate with them" (CP, 1/30).

STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS: Goodell during his press conference was asked about the possibility of placing a team in London full-time within the next 10 years. He replied, “They have demonstrated that they’re tremendous football fans and that we’re continuing to grow our game over there. ... If that passion continues, maybe someday they will have an NFL franchise. But I’ve never put a timeframe on that" (NFL Network, 1/30). However, NFL Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Mark Waller said that Wembley Stadium in London "can expect" to host a full-time NFL team by '19. Waller: "We plan vigorously and there is a view for the future and a way forward." Waller said he and Goodell "spoke about 10 years for a London franchise." Waller: "Mentally that's how we are framing it. We'd be hugely disappointed if it was 12 years and not 10. That's the goal for the NFL" (London DAILY MAIL, 1/31). Meanwhile, Goodell Friday also noted the league is negotiating to hold a game in Mexico during the '10 season (Mult., 1/31).

TRAVEL SAFELY: SPORTINGNEWS.com's Mike Florio wrote the "challenge in the short term for Goodell and the owners will be to ensure the general public understands the reasons for so much time and money being devoted to exporting the game -- at a time when the league office and several teams are putting people out of work." The NFL has "good reasons" to expand internationally, as the efforts to "establish a foothold in other countries will eventually provide employment for a lot more people as the league continues to grow." But in the current economic downturn, the league "shouldn't ignore the superficial disconnect between expensive efforts to play games across oceans and pink slips given to folks who thought they were working in a recession-proof business" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 1/30).

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