NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Paul Tagliabue, who served as NFL commissioner from 1989 to 2006, died after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, his family said Sunday. He was 84 years old.
Tagliabue’s cause of death was heart failure complicated by the disease, according to ESPN.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement regarding Tagliabue’s death.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue walks the red carpet before the NFL Honors at Radio City Music Hall on February 1, 2014. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
“During his NFL Hall of Fame career, Paul fostered labor peace with our players, oversaw the league’s expansion to 32 teams, ushered in an era of next-generation stadiums, and laid important foundations for establishing the league as a global brand. He helped modernize the league’s front office structure and business operations, providing the blueprint for the NFL’s strategic adoption of the emerging technologies of its era, including cable, satellite and the Internet. Paul was a fierce advocate of diversity and inclusion and guided the league through the challenges of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
“I will always be grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor. I appreciated the countless 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 deepest condolences to the entire Tagliabue family, especially Chan, his wife of 60 years, and their children Drew and Emily.”
Paul Tagliabue, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, receives his gold jacket during the Gold Jacket Dinner in Canton, Ohio, on August 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
NFL ASKS ALL TEAMS TO HOLD A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR COWBOYS’ MARSHAWN KNEELAND AFTER SHOCKING DEATH: REPORT
The New Jersey native guided the NFL through exciting and difficult times during his tenure as the face of the shield. He saw the Browns leave and then return to Cleveland, as well as the additions of the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans to the field.
He helped the league overcome the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The NFL’s popularity also exploded during Tagliabue’s time as commissioner. The Buffalo Bills were among seven teams that saw more than 1 million people attend games during the season. At the end of the 2005 season, 30 of the league’s 32 teams had more than 1 million attendees over the course of the season. Only the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals had fewer than 1 million attendees.
While the league expanded nationally, it helped turn the NFL into a globally recognized game with the founding of the World League of American Football and NFL Europe. Although the leagues failed, they helped pave the way for regular season games to be held annually abroad.
Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue arrives on the red carpet during the enshrinement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on August 6, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Tagliabue also went toe-to-toe with the state of Arizona after officials initially refused to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. as a state holiday. Moved Super Bowl XXVII from the state to California. Arizona finally hosted Super Bowl XXX.
Tagliabue was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
