Is Tom Brady really retired?
All sorts of questions swirl around the boss of an industry that made a record $18 billion last season and boasts of reaching annual revenue of $25 billion within the next four years. That means somebody’s perspective was missing Wednesday in Phoenix during Roger Goodell’s yearly Super Bowl press conference.
The NFL players.
You had Donna Kelce, America’s Mom this week after she gave birth in the 1980s to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jason and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis, the Kelce brothers opposing each other Sunday in Super Bowl LVII. You had the NFL’s designated youth reporter of the moment (“Hey, this is the Play 60 super kid”). You also had hundreds of media folks who actually get paid to ask questions for a living.
Some were striking: On the Pro Bowl evolving from a sloppy annual mess into a series of skills events and three different flag football contests. “There’s just a opportunity here for us to grow our game globally with flag football,” Goodell said, presumably referring to just the Pro Bowl and not to the NFL overall. “We’ve seen a lot of people participate in that and how they’re embracing that, and seeing NFL players do that? I think it’s just going to launch us even faster.”
Some were ridiculous: On the slew of blown and weird calls by NFL referees this season, especially during the AFC Championship Game when the Chiefs got an extra play down the stretch against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I don’t think it’s ever been better in the league,” Goodell said of NFL officiating, with a baffled look over the question, which was baffling that he was baffled.
