Despite hundreds of lawsuits, media attention, and increased injuries, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes the NFL and football in general is a safe sport.
On Sunday, Goodell was asked ahead of the Super Bowl if he found football to be safe to which he told ESPN Radio:
“Any sport has a risk of injury.”
Speaking on Mike and Mike in the Morning, Goodell said the NFL has “made the necessary changes to make the game safer.”
A former football player himself, Goodell said the game is important for bringing positive influences to youngsters. According to Goodell:
“For nine years I played tackle football. I would play every single day over again because of the values and what it taught you and teamwork and perseverance.”
When asked by Bob Schieffer on Sunday if NFL officials hid the severity of head injuries over the years, Goodell responded with a simple “no.”
When asked if medical conditions found with many retired NFL players were a result of their playing days, Roger Goodell refused to answer. The commissioner instead focused on NFL funding for research into the risks associated with playing the contact sport.
When asked if football fans would lose interest in the sport as safety changes are made, Roger Goodell responded:
“I couldn’t be more optimistic about it because the game of football has always evolved. Through the years, through the decades, we’ve made changes to our game, to make it safer, to make it more exciting, to make it a better game for the players, for the fans, and we have done that in a very calculated fashion.”
Would you allow your children to play football, or do you agree that the game has become too dangerous as players have gotten bigger and faster over the years?