“TNF” Exec Producer Fred Gaudelli produced his last regular-season game on Thursday night for Amazon, though he has one game left “in the truck for one of the NBC’s two Wild Card games,” according to Peter King of NBC SPORTS. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell counts Gaudelli “as a confidant in the hugely important business of making the NFL look like a prize on television.” After 33 years of "producing big games and innovating things like the first-down line," Gaudelli, 62, will shift to a "less-frenetic full-time executive producer gig for NBC and for Amazon Prime." The all-consuming way Gaudelli “did the job took a toll on him.” He said, “These jobs aren’t conducive to great health.” Gaudelli produced for 11 years on ESPN’s "MNF," five on ABC’s "MNF," 16 on NBC’s "SNF" and this season on the first year of Amazon's exclusive "TNF." For Goodell “one person was best suited to usher in a new media product and the streaming principle: Gaudelli.” Goodell said, “Going into the season, Amazon was maybe the highest priority from a media standpoint for us -- making sure that launched properly. Knowing that Freddie was in the seat ... that part of the launch was not a concern of mine. It was comfort. …That was really one of the most significant things for me in discussions with Amazon even before the deal was over.” King noted Gaudelli "has shown his journalistic side." Goodell: "I would never ask him to back down on something he thought was an obligation. That’s where you have that trust. Fred’s in the seat and Fred will manage it well" (NBCSPORTS.com, 1/2).
