NFL Notes: Roger Goodell, Rams Relocation Lawsuit, Rooney Rule

Roger Goodell

• NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a total of $128 million over the last two fiscal years via his salary, bonuses, and “other benefits,” according to the New York Times. 
• The Times cites four unnamed sources who attended the meetings who indicate that Goodell’s pay during 2019-20 and 2020-21 was about 90 percent based on bonuses from finalizing a new labor deal and media package. 

Rams Relocation Lawsuit

• ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reports that Rams owner Stan Kroenke is looking to back out of his agreement to repay the NFL and other owners for costs incurred as a result of a lawsuit by the city of St. Louis over Kroenke’s decision to relocate the Rams. 
• The lawsuit is not going well for the NFL and has already cost millions in legal fees. Kroenke has offered to settle but so far the city has not agreed. Other owners have been required to produce financial records and have been fined by the court after being slow to do so. 
• Kroenke’s cold feet caused a rift at the league’s owners meeting this past week, with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defending Kroenke against Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Raiders owner Mark Davis and Giants owner John Mara, who said Kroenke’s agreement was the only reason the league voted to allow the relocation. 
• Jones hinted that Kroenke could sue the league to try and get out of the indemnification agreement, as Jones did something similar in the 1990s. 

Rooney Rule

• According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the NFL is enhancing its Rooney Rule to mandate teams must have at least one in-person interview with an external minority candidate. Previously those interviews could be virtual. 
• Beyond that, the NFL teams may now conduct virtual interviews with head coaching candidates during the last two weeks of the regular season, per Pelissero. 
• The candidate’s existing club must consent to the regular season interview and the head coaching job must be open. 
• Pelissero adds the Bills’ proposal to move the hiring cycle back until the end of January did not gain further traction and was not voted on at the owners meeting this week.