IAm Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, AMA

Hi. It's NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. To kick off Super Bowl Week, I want you to Ask Me Anything.

I tweeted my verification in case you need confirmation: @NFLCommish

I hope you are all looking forward to Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday. We're working hard to bring our fans closer to the game and all events in New Orleans that lead up to it. I'm excited to get down there later this week. If you can't join us in New Orleans, our friends at NFL Media will be covering everything Super Bowl which you can follow here: www.nfl.com/video, www.superbowl.com, www.Facebook.com/NFL.

I look forward to your questions. Let's get started.

EDIT: Thanks so much for your questions. Sorry we couldn't get to all of them today. Let's do this again sometime. Enjoy the game this weekend.

Comments: 7038 • Responses: 8  • Date: 

douche_bigalo1824 karma

Did you practice this handshake for many hours? How has your street cred improved since said handshake?

http://i.imgur.com/aUgE0.gif

NFL_Commish2496 karma

When I met with the players the day before the draft, Melvin asked if I would give him a special handshake. He showed it to me and then we practiced one time. It was fun, glad I didn't screw it up for Melvin.

Siffilis1139 karma

Would you consider allowing more extensive touchdown celebrations again?

NFL_Commish1420 karma

This rule gets reconsidered by our Competition Committee every year. We think we have a good balance between sportsmanship and natural enthusiasm. We want the players to be able to celebrate without taunting the opponents and casuing a retaliation.

I'd be interested to see how other fans feel: do we want more?

ThaddeusJP992 karma

Hello Mr. Goodell – welcome to Reddit.

To start things off, there is a HUGE NFL following on reddit (/r/nfl <--- click here to see the main section) and pages for every team with their own dedicated followers. We are extremely passionate about the game and are constantly talking about all things NFL. You’re going to get insightful and hard-hitting questions about EVERY aspect of the game itself, the league, and how things have been/will be done. We look forward to your answers!

My question:

In regards to expansion: There is clearly a huge market in Europe, South America, and many other parts of the world. People are talking about overseas expansion. Is there a long term plan to bring new NFL teams to the rest of the world?

Thank you for your time! - Thad, A Browns fan

NFL_Commish989 karma

Thad, glad to hear that Reddit is so passionate about NFL football. Hope you all have enjoyed the season as much as I have.

We expanded our regular season series in London to two games this year. So far, we've seen the same passionate support for the NFL in London, based on ticket sales to date. If our game continues to grow in London, it would not surprise me if we had an NFL team in London someday.

jdi_nit887 karma

Thanks so much for stopping by here. I wanted to know:

Just how important is Rich Eisen to the NFL Network and shouldn't he get a raise?

NFL_Commish1734 karma

Thanks for your question, Mrs. Eisen!

We are proud of the work Rich does on the NFL Network. It has been gratifying to see the growth and success of the Network, which he is a big part of.

Pixelpaws337 karma

What's a rule currently in place in the NFL that you expect to change within the next couple of years?

What's a rule NOT in place that you think needs to be implemented?

NFL_Commish407 karma

We're reevaluating all low blocks on defenders. I would anticipate that there will be changes in this area. These rules are studied very carefully by the Competition Committee, which is made up of GMs, owners and coaches, including with input from the players, and then voted on by the full membership. The reason they get such careful analysis is to make sure we understand the unintended consequences of any rule changes, and that they can be officiated with consistency.

For more on the history of our rules changes, visitwww.NFLEvolution.com