Goodell on Dan Rooney: 'Never met a better man in my life'

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued high praise for Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who died at the age of 84 on Thursday.

"I've never met a better man in my life," Goodell said to Peter King of The MMQB, in an excerpt from an upcoming story.

Rooney was instrumental in promoting racial diversity within the league, and helped develop the "Rooney Rule" which stipulates that teams with a head coaching or general managing vacancy must interview at least one minority candidate. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Rooney inherited the Steelers from his father, Art, who founded the club in 1933.