About Roger Goodell
Roger Stokoe Goodell (born February 19, 1959) is an American businessman who has been the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) since 2006. Goodell began his NFL career in 1982 as an administrative intern in the league office in New York under then-commissioner Pete Rozelle. The position was secured through a letter-writing campaign to the league office and each of its then 28 teams. In 1983, he joined the New York Jets as an intern, but returned to the league office in 1984 as an assistant in the public relations department. In 1987, Goodell was appointed assistant to the president of the American Football Conference, Lamar Hunt, and under the Commissioner Paul Tagliabue filled a variety of football and business operations roles, culminating with his appointment as the NFL's executive vice president and chief operating officer in December 2001. As the NFL's COO, Goodell took responsibility for the league's football operations and officiating, as well as supervised league business functions. He headed NFL Ventures, which oversees the league's business units, including media properties, marketing and sales, stadium development, and strategic planning. Goodell participated in the negotiation of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA and NFL owners during the summer of 2011. He also played a role in league expansion, realignment, and stadium development, including the launch of the NFL Network and securing new television agreements. The spring league NFL Europe, founded in 1995 and since 2004 with five of six teams based in Germany, was shut down by Goodell after the 2007 season. Outside of player conduct, Goodell is also known for his work in the 2011 NFL lockout. In 2014, Goodell was awarded the third highest honor within the Department of the Army Civilian Awards scheme, the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the US Army community while working as the NFL commissioner.
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