The NFL has become one of the largest corporations in the sports world and beyond thanks to the tremendous growth under Roger Goodell's leadership, and while the commissioner has been part of major strides over the years not everyone involved in league circles sees the 66 year old as the key piece to turning profits and growing professional football.
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A recent Sports Illustrated article written by Albert Breer went into extreme detail about Goodell's 20 years as NFL commissioner, which has seen the league become a force not only in America but internationally with new broadcast rights deals, games across the world and an unstoppable social media presence with league highlights all over the internet.
Who is Roger Goodell?
That depends on who you ask.
His 20th season is underway, and we go in on the good, the bad, and everything in between. With input from over 50 people who know him well, our look at the past, present and future of @NFLCommish.https://t.co/MKXIZI6IBq
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 11, 2025
However, one interesting note from Breer's article involved an anonymous NFL executive that didn't exactly have all nice things to say about Goodell and his leadership style.
"[M]any colleagues, adversaries and associates casually refer to [Goodell] as a bully," Breer wrote in his extended Sports Illustrated piece. "One well-respected decision-maker from a 2024 playoff team asserted it’s even worse: ‘He’s a silver spoon senator’s son who thinks he’s a bully. But he’s really not.’”
While it's unclear who was the one that decided to speak out against Goodell, the 2025 NFL season has already had some huge moments after just one week of play and that goes to show that what the league is doing has been working with great success.
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