FOX interrupts its NFL coverage to bring tragic breaking news during Sunday's games, announcing the death of former league commissioner Paul Tagliabue at age 84 after almost 20 years at the helm
22:56 ET, 09 Nov 2025
Detailed view of the Fox Sports logo prior to an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears at Solider Field on September 29, 2024 in Chicago, IL
View 2 Images
FOX Sports interrupted its broadcasts to break the news of Paul Tagliabue's death(Image: Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
FOX interrupted its NFL coverage Sunday to break the news of Paul Tagliabue's passing.
Tagliabue was the former commissioner of the NFL, holding the mantle for almost 20 years. During his time, four franchises were introduced to the league, with the Saints remaining in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Tagliabue also relocated Super Bowl XXVII to California in response to Arizona's failure to recognize a state holiday for Martin Luther King Jr.
Article continues below
He died on Nov. 9 at age 84 due to heart failure and complications from Parkinson's disease. FOX Sports took a moment to commemorate his life with Kevin Burkhardt breaking the news, on the same afternoon Donald Trump was in the booth on the other side of the country.
Article continues below
READ MORE: Donald Trump to attend NFL game this weekend as reason quickly emergesREAD MORE: John Schneider learns his fate with Blue Jays after heartbreaking World Series loss
"Sad news just a little while ago as former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue passed away at the age of 84," Burkhardt said during the San Francisco 49ers' matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. "Tagliabue elected commissioner in '89; he served through the 2006 season. He maintained, brokered labor peace, avoided any work stoppages. Big factor in the NFL's success. Rest in peace, Paul Tagliabue."
David Hill, the founding president of FOX Sports, also released a statement after Tagliabue's death. “Paul was a wonderfully smart, strategic, incisive intellectual – who also had a world-class legal mind and an amazingly wry sense of humor," the statement began.
"Personally, I enjoyed every moment I spent working with him, and the key lesson I learnt from Paul was that while you must always respect tradition, you must also ceaselessly look to improve every aspect of your business. His legacy is the National Football League, and our condolences go out to Chan, Drew and Emily. He was a great man.”
FOX Sports took a moment to honor Paul Tagliabue after his passing
View 2 Images
FOX Sports took a moment to honor Tagliabue after his passing(Image: X: @FOXSportsPR)
Current NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on Tagliabue's passing, further highlighting the job he had done in helping shape the league as it is today. "All of us in the NFL are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Tagliabue, whose principled leadership and vision put the NFL on the path to unparalleled success," the statement began.
"Throughout his decades-long leadership on behalf of the NFL, first as outside counsel and then during a powerful 17-year tenure as commissioner, Paul served with integrity, passion and an unwavering conviction to do what was best for the league.
"Paul was the ultimate steward of the game—tall in stature, humble in presence and decisive in his loyalty to the NFL. He viewed every challenge and opportunity through the lens of what was best for the greater good, a principle he inherited from Pete Rozelle and passed on to me.
Get Peacock starting at $7.99
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Peacock will have exclusive access to one of this season's NFL playoff Wild Card games
$7.99
Peacock
Subscribe Here
Looking for more to watch? Peacock has hit shows, movies, live sports, and more. You can watch popular titles like Wicked and The Traitors, along with Premier League matches and live golf all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 a month and you can cancel anytime.
"During his Hall of Fame NFL career, Paul fostered labor peace with our players, oversaw the expansion of the league to 32 teams, ushered in an era of state-of-the-art stadiums and laid the important groundwork of establishing the league as a global brand.
Article continues below
"He helped modernize the structure of the league office and its business operations, providing the playbook for the NFL’s strategic embrace of his era’s emerging technologies including cable, satellite and the internet. Paul was a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion and guided the league through the challenges of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
"I am forever grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor. I cherished the innumerable hours we spent together where he helped shape me as an executive but also as a man, husband and father.
"Jane and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the entire Tagliabue family, especially Chan, his wife of 60 years, and their children Drew and Emily.”