Roger Goodell was once again made to look like a fool on Thursday when Tom Brady’s four-game suspension was overturned by a federal court judge. In the wake of the latest embarrassment in NFL disciplinary action, many are wondering if the end is near for Goodell as commissioner of America’s most popular sports league.
Not so fast.
Goodell’s current contract runs through the 2019 season. The only way NFL owners could push him out is by way of a buyout. According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, that might not be an ideal option.
Based on what he has made, a Goodell buyout — should owners want him out — could cost about $150M. His contract expires in March 2019
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 3, 2015
Goodell has made somewhere in the range of $40 million per year over the last several years. The NFL is making more money now than it ever has, and owners are stuffing their pockets. That’s one of the main reasons there has been no talk about pushing Goodell out despite some of the major flubs he has had with players like Brady, Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.
While there is reason to believe that Goodell went against the wishes of some team owners by appealing the Brady suspension ruling, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that Goodell’s job is safe.
“Everybody’s still behind Roger,” Schefter said on SportsCenter. “He’s not going anywhere.”
Here’s the thing — anyone who thinks the majority of NFL owners actually care about the public image of the game is incredibly naive. They all care about making money. Deflategate was an embarrassment for the league, but is it going to affect revenue? No. In fact, ratings when the Patriots take on the Steelers in the first regular season game of the year will likely break records, thanks in part to the Deflategate fiasco.
As bad as Goodell has been over the past two years, he probably isn’t going anywhere. He can continue to tell blatant lies like this one, but NFL owners would rather keep making all kinds of money than pay $150 million to bring in a new commissioner.
