Earlier today, Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network reported that Commissioner Roger Goodell has advised the league’s teams that he’ll reduce his salary to $1 per year.
We’ve confirmed that Goodell will indeed reduce his salary to $1 annually. (Which is slightly better than zero dollars plus benefits, babe.) We’ve also learned that NFL general counsel Jeff Pash, who’s leading the league’s negotiating team, also will be reducing his pay to $1 annually. Other league executives have volunteered to reduce their compensation, but Goodell has asked them not to do so at this time.
Of course, the key factor is when a “work stoppage” commences. As of March 4, there is no “work” to be “stopped”. It’s our understanding that, in this specific context, “work stoppage” means the commencement of a lockout.
The memo from Goodell to the teams, a copy of which we’ve obtained, explains that the league’s Compensation Committee will not make a decision on any bonus for Goodell until a new labor deal is reached.
And, of course, the bonus paid to Goodell after the CBA is finalized easily could be inflated to compensate him for his lost compensation. Thus, we suspect that the union’s response to the news will be that it’s a hollow P.R. ploy aimed at creating the impression that Goodell and Pash have a stronger-than-usual incentive to get a deal done, and that any delays can be blamed on the union.
But why should we guess at what the union’s response will be? NFLPA spokesman George Atallah will appear on PFT Live at 12:00 p.m. ET today. I’ll just ask him.