Paul Tagliabue, who was the NFL commissioner for 17 years and put his stamp on a league that was growing into a behemoth, died Sunday morning at his home in Chevy Chase, Md., his family announced. He was 84.
The apparent cause of death was heart failure complicated by Parkinson’s Disease, his family said.
A Jersey City native who graduated from NYU Law School, Tagliabue had been an attorney for the league before becoming commissioner in 1989, taking over for Pete Rozelle, and did not step down until 2006, when Roger Goodell’s reign began.
Paul Tagliabue, the NFL commissioner from 1989-2006, has died at the age of 84. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“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,” Goodell said in a statement. “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.”
Tagliabue oversaw overwhelming prosperity and growth during a tenure in which the NFL expanded from 28 to 32 teams, many of which landed new stadiums; in which massive, billion-dollar TV contracts exploded the league and its popularity; in which there were no work stoppages; and in which his handling of head injuries clouded his tenure.
During a time little was known about concussions and little research was being conducted under Tagliabue, he called concussions “one of those pack-journalism issues” and said the problem is “relatively small,” comments for which he publicly apologized in 2017.
From left: Then-Steelers owner Dan Rooney, new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue and then-Panthers owner Jerry Richardson when Goodell was announced as the new commissioner on Aug. 8, 2006. Getty Images
“My intention at the time was to make a point which could have been made fairly simply: that there was a need for better data,” he said on Talk of Fame Network. “There was a need for more reliable information about concussions and uniformity in terms of how they were being defined in terms of severity.”
His reputation on labor relations was stronger, both the salary cap and free agency born during his run. Under Tagliabue, the NFL Network was launched and what became NFL Europe began as the league grew all over the world.
“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,” Goodell said. “Paul was a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion and guided the league through the challenges of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.”
Tagliabue was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
“Commissioner Tagliabue was a smart and considerate leader,” the Giants said in a statement. “He was a collaborator and united people, not an easy task. And he did so thoughtfully with grace and dignity. He will be remembered as one of the greatest commissioners in professional sports.”
His survivors include his wife, Chandler, son, Drew, and daughter, Emily.