NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is among the most divisive figures in sports. That has been the case since he took over for Paul Tagliabue all the way back in 2006.
One thing that we can all agree on is the fact that Goodell has overseen one of the greatest economic boons in the history of North American professional sports.
Apparently, the commissioner is getting paid like that. According to a recently-released report from The New York Times, Roger Goodell has earned nearly $128 million in pay from the NFL over the past two years alone. That’s not a typo. One-hundred and twenty-eight million.
“The nine-figure combination of salary, bonuses and other benefits made Goodell one of the highest-paid executives in the country,” The Times reported.
Roger Goodell’s salary and what it means
Back in 2017, Goodell signed a five-year deal that was said to be worth up to $200 million to keep his role as the top NFL official. Much of that contract was tied into meeting financial and non-financial goals, many of which it seems he has met.
The NFL is fresh off signing a new 10-year labor deal with the NFLPA and just signed media contracts that could be worth $100 billion over the next decade.
As for Goodell’s pay, it would rank second among executives in the United States behind only Larry Culp of General Electric. That’s absolutely stunning.
While some might say that Goodell has earned this pay day, there’s a lot of other factors to look into. That includes the ongoing Washington Football Team sexual harassment scandal, which now includes high-ranking members of the National Football League itself. It also includes the Jon Gruden-centric scandal that led to the Super Bowl-winning head coach resigning from his role with the Las Vegas Raiders.
It does seem that owners within the NFL are supportive of Roger Goodell and his term as the league’s commissioner.
“While Goodell is often criticized by the news media, fans, politicians and supporters of women’s rights, the league’s owners by and large support him, even as they quietly acknowledge that he is hardly the perfect leader for North America’s most successful professional sports league,” The Times noted.