Roger Goodell

Roger Goodell serves as the current Commissioner of the National Football League. Goodell replaced retiring Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on September 1, 2006. Goodell became just the third commissioner of the league since 1960 when Pete Rozelle took over the reins following the death of Bert Bell.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2543365

Goodell was born on February 19, 1959 in Jamestown, New York. He began his career with the NFL as an administrative intern in 1982 following his graduation from Washington & Jefferson College in 1981 with a degree in economics.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2543365 After spending a year working for the New York Jets, Goodell returned to the NFL offices as a public relations assistant. In 1987 he was appointed as an assistant to Kansas City Chiefs owner and AFC President Lamar Hunt by Commissioner Rozelle. He served several different roles under Tagliabue before being promoted to Commissioner.

In February of 2009, Goodell announced that he would take a pay cut in an attempt to help the league survive the economic crisis. He took a 20 percent pay cut from the $11 million in salary and bonuses he was owed for the 2008 fiscal year.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3933228186

Since taking over as Commissioner, Goodell has enforced a much more stringent personal conduct policy for players and coaches. Since taking over as the head man in the league, he has suspended sixteen players for a total of 93 games. That includes two separate suspensions of Pacman Jones including one that cost him the entire 2007 season.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5121614243

Other major suspensions involved Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vick after his dogfighting incidents, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry and former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth, who was suspended for the entire 2009 season after his DUI manslaughter killing of pedestrian Mario Reyes.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5121614

Most recently, Goodell suspended Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for six games for his off field actions involving a college student in Milledgeville, Georgia. Roethlisberger became the first player to be suspended under the personal conduct policy without actually being convicted, or even charged, with a crime.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5121614