Roger Goodell took the stage on Thursday for his annual Super Bowl press conference, but this time it was by the socially distanced media in Tampa for the big game plus a handful of reporters who were zooming in to ask the NFL commissioner a question. Of course, Goodell touched on the state of the league amid the pandemic and relayed how proud he was that not only were they able to get a full regular season in, but they were also able to get all the way to the Super Bowl without any league-wide stops in play.
On top of the pandemic impacting the 2020 season, Goodell was asked about the challenges it brings to the league going into 2021. The commissioner was also asked about the lack of diversity among head coaches in the latest hiring cycle, potential changes to when the league schedules the hiring cycle to begin, along with the possibility of the NFL heading towards the addition of a 17th game in the regular season.
Below, you'll see the commissioner's answers on the 10 most compelling questions that he was faced with during Thursday's presser leading into Super Bowl LV.
Lack of minority head coaching hires
Roger Goodell: "I'm not sure there is an issue we've spent more time working with our ownership on. Our ownership is committed and focused on this. We look at this as broadly as possible. We want to make the NFL, our clubs more diverse. It's much broader than head coaches for us. The head coaches are important and we put a lot of policies and focus on that issue. As you know, we've had two minority head coaches hired this year, but it wasn't what we expected. It's not what we expect going forward.
"We have to look at what went right and what went wrong. I think that has to happen with individual discussions with candidates both successful and unsuccessful, the clubs, and try to understand exactly what went right and what went wrong. They're not the outcomes we wanted. We're committed more than ever to ensure we do that, but we want it to be a natural process."
RG: "Tom Brady has shown that he's probably the greatest player to ever play this game. His ability to rise to the big occasions, and make everybody rise around him. That's what's absolutely incredible to me. Everyone just plays better when they're with him. And so, he's an exceptional talent, but more importantly, he's one of the great guys. I've known him for probably 15 years. He's an extraordinary guy. He's real, and he cares about this game, deeply. He cares about the people involved with the game, so for me, I wish him well. I think he's going to continue to be a great performer. I'm glad to hear he's going to play a few more years."
NFL possibly going away from OTAs
RG: I think we've proven that working together between the NFL and NFLPA that we've been able to put our differences aside. Not that we didn't stay to our core principles and do the things that we think are important, but be able to find those areas of common interest and look past those differences to solutions. I'm confident that we'll be able to do that again.
"I think the challenges that are in front of us ... I can't identify all of them, but my guess is right now they are less than where we were last year cause we've had the experience of the last six or seven months. I think we have learned a great deal so we want to look at the data, we want to look at the information. It's not time to be taking positions publically, it's a time to be able to look at that data and then sit down and talk about it with respect and understanding and try to come to the right outcome.
"I expect the offseason -- we already started on that. The Combine is going to go through significant changes which is in just a few weeks. We anticipate that a lot of the things we did last year with respect to training camps, to respect to the offseason ... Virtual is going to be a part of our life for the long term. I think we've learned and the coaches learned and the players learned that it was actually a very positive way to install offenses and to work in the offseason. I think we will instill more of that for sure.
"But I also believe our coaches feel strongly that -- we'll talk about this with the union -- that there is value in training camp, there's value in practices, there's value in having preseason games where you can develop young players and give them the opportunity to get better as football players. The veterans may not need that as much. Those are the types of things we'll balance as we come into the offseason and I'm sure we'll come up with solutions from that."
Dr. Fauci's warning about Super Bowl gathering
RG: "We want our fans to be safe, they need to be smart, they need to wear their PPE, they need to be gathering in small groups. We worked with the CDC about their advice that came out last Saturday about staying at home and doing it with family and household members, and we believe that's the way it should happen. We're all going to enjoy the Super Bowl a little different this year."
RG: "I said very clearly back in June that we wish we had listened to our players earlier, and we had a lot of players that were coming and bringing these issues to us. It didn't start last summer; it started over two years ago and we've been working with the Players Coalition over that period of time.
"Colin was one of the individuals who obviously brought a great deal of attention to this, and, for that, he deserves our recognition for that and appreciation. But there were a lot of other players. In fact, many of the demonstrations started back in 2014 with Ferguson.
"From our standpoint, we now, I think, have a platform and an ability to work with our players to address those issues that they've identified in their communities, in our communities, that we can help and address. There's a commitment from the entire ownership to that. Not just financial but more importantly our resources."
Will 2021 look more normal than 2020?
RG: "One of the things that I have learned and all of us have learned is not to project too much in advance because it's difficult to do. Got back to last March and early April trying to project what the environment was going to be like from a safety standpoint and where the virus and the pandemic were even to the draft three weeks later. That's when we made the determination that we needed to go virtual. We needed to be prepared to do that and make the decisions when we got closer."
He added: "I don't know when normal will occur again and I don't know if normal ever will again. I know this, we've learned to operate in a difficult environment. We have found solutions and we'll do it again."
Potential for a 17 game schedule in 2021
RG: "We are looking at the 17-game schedule. ... We've already agreed to that in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. There's still more work to be done on that. Once the game is done, we'll turn our focus a little bit more to that. Even though we have that option, we're going to continue to talk."
Tampa Bay possibly getting another Super Bowl
RG: "Well, I never want to get into specifics on that, because it's ultimately an ownership vote. But I think everyone knows the unique circumstances that we face this season. They also know how extraordinary Tampa has been in working through that. I think that'll be a big consideration in their minds when they do sit down and vote. We recognize that it may not be the full extent of economic benefit, but in some ways, I think this whole pandemic and this ability to work through this is really going to be a reflection on this community's can-do attitude and how they get things down. They never wavered about moving forward with this game, and they've never looked forward and said, 'We want to have a game in return.' Those are the kind of people that make this world special, and I think the NFL will recognize that going forward."
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Super Bowl 2021: Here are eight key points NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed during press conference - CBS Sports
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