""Paul was the ultimate steward of the game - tall in stature, humble in presence and decisive in his loyalty to the NFL," Goodell said in a statement. "I am forever grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor. I cherished the innumerable hours we spent together where he helped shape me as an executive but also as a man, husband and father.""
"Tagliabue oversaw a myriad of new stadiums and negotiated television contracts that added billions of dollars to the league's bank account. Under him, there were no labor stoppages. During his time, Los Angeles lost two teams and Cleveland another, migrating to Baltimore before being replaced by an expansion franchise. Tagliabue implemented a policy on substance abuse that was considered the strongest in all major sports. He also established the "Rooney Rule," in which all teams with coaching vacancies must interview minority candidates. It has since been expanded to include front-office and league executive positions. When he took office in 1989, the NFL had just gotten its first Black head coach of the modern era. By the time Tagliabue stepped down in 2006, there were seven minority head coaches in the league."
Paul Tagliabue died at age 84 of heart failure in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and had developed Parkinson's disease. Tagliabue served as NFL commissioner from 1989 to 2006 and was later elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of a special centennial class in 2020. He negotiated television contracts that added billions to league revenues and oversaw numerous new stadiums while avoiding labor stoppages. Team relocations occurred under his tenure, including Los Angeles losses and Cleveland's move to Baltimore followed by an expansion franchise. He implemented a strict substance-abuse policy and established the Rooney Rule, increasing minority head coaching representation from one to seven by 2006.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]