State of the League: Goodell talks Rooney Rule, London, Kaepernick, Raiders
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed several topics during his State of the League address Wednesday, including the efficacy of the Rooney Rule, the viability of a franchise in London, and the future home of the Raiders.
Rooney Rule
The Rooney Rule is a policy which requires every team to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and senior football operations openings. No team hired a minority head coach this winter, although the Miami Dolphins are widely expected to name New England Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores as their next head coach following Super Bowl LIII.
"We don't look at the success or failure of the Rooney Rule in one-year increments," Goodell said, according to Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star.
He added there will be a quarterback summit in June at Morehouse College in Atlanta to help train new coaches.
NFL International Series, London, and Mexico City
The commissioner discussed the success of the NFL International Series but said the league isn't prepared to have a franchise in London.
"We've been extraordinarily pleased with the reaction we've gotten to playing regular-season games in the U.K. The fans there are really fantastic," Goodell said, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "They've shown passion, they've shown the same type of knowledge and interest in our game that we experience right here in the United States.
"So I don't think it's a question of the fan base or their enthusiasm for it. I also don't think it’s a question of viable stadiums."
Goodell said it would be difficult to integrate a London franchise into the NFL due to scheduling concerns.
"The issue for us still is, can we do this competitively for the team that is based there, but also for the 31 other clubs?" he said. "That involves scheduling, it involves a lot of other matters that you don't want to compromise. And until we can get comfortable on that I don't think we'll be NFL-ready in London."
Goodell also spoke about continuing to grow the league's foothold in Mexico. The Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs were scheduled to play at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium in November but the game was moved to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum due to inclement field conditions.
"We were disappointed we weren't able to play there this year, but I believe all of us did the right thing," Goodell said, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "I believe we're going to continue that relationship and grow the game of football in Mexico."
Colin Kaepernick
Asked about the unwillingness of some recording artists to be affiliated with the NFL due to Colin Kaepernick's ongoing unemployment, Goodell initially dodged the question.
"We have great artists performing all week here in Atlanta," he said, according to Karisa Maxwell of Sporting News.
Goodell said it's up to teams to decide whether they want to employ Kaepernick.
"If a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that's what they'll do," he said. "I've said it many times privately and publicly, our clubs are the ones making the decisions on any players they have on their roster.
"They make those decisions individually in the best interest of their club. It’s something we, the NFL, take pride in."
The future home of the Raiders
It remains unclear where the Oakland Raiders will play their home games for the 2019 season and Goodell tried to add some clarity to the ongoing situation. The City of Oakland filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the Raiders and the NFL in December and the team subsequently withdrew from an agreement to play at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for the 2019 season.
"It's unfortunate that litigation was filed prior to their final season in Oakland," Goodell said. "But that's the reality that was filed by the city. I'm hopeful that they'll get a resolution soon.
"As far as timing, the key thing about timing is our schedule. We need to make a schedule, obviously, for the 2019 season. And the sooner the better for us."
The Raiders are expected to move to Las Vegas for the 2020 season. Goodell appeared to rule out San Diego as a temporary host for the 2019 campaign.
"The hope of (Raiders owner) Mark (Davis) is to be in the Bay Area with his Raiders fans," Goodell said, according to NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano.
Updates on Kareem Hunt and Reuben Foster
Goodell also fielded questions about the ongoing investigation regarding Kareem Hunt. The former Kansas City Chiefs running back was placed on the commissioner's exempt list after being released by the team. This followed the release of a video showing him striking a woman.
"Kareem Hunt, I think everyone knows, that issue is under investigation. He's a free agent. If he's signed by a club, clubs understand he'll be on exempt list until the investigation is concluded. Hopefully, that will be concluded soon.” Goodell said, according to Pryor.
Additionally, the commissioner addressed the status of Washington Redskins linebacker Reuben Foster. Washington claimed Foster off waivers Nov. 27 following his release from the San Francisco 49ers; the 49ers released him after he was arrested again for domestic violence.
"We continue our investigation into that," Goodell said, according to Jordan Dajani of 247Sports. "Whether the charges were dropped doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a violation of our personal conduct policy. Reuben and I have met before, we will talk again, but we will conclude that investigation, make a determination, and we will go from there."