The NFL Compensation Committee on Wednesday approved an extension for Commissioner Roger Goodell that will pay him upwards of $200 million for five years.
Previous reports of said deal also included Goodell receiving lifetime use of a private jet and lifetime health insurance of himself as well as his family. Needless to say, this was a sweetheart deal for the divisive figure.
Since the extension was announced, a lot of different figures around the sports world have spoken out. Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard is the latest, and he did not hold back.
Commissioner get 40M a year? While players risking their lives/health out there on non guaranteed contracts still? Smh
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) December 7, 2017
Here, Lillard is talking about the fact that NFL contracts, unlike his deal in the NBA, are not fully guaranteed. The then goes in on Goodell receiving $40 million per year.
Optics are everything when it comes to something of this ilk. And as this one scribe noted in a column earlier on Thursday, said optics could lead to continued labor strife between the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association. Goodell’s extension does nothing to change this. In fact, it could very well be a hindrance.
If Lillard’s stance is mirrored by those around the NFL, it wouldn’t be a major surprise if some high-profile players start to speak out against Goodell’s extension.