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EHS Students Get Up Close and Personal With NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

EHS students joined a wide-ranging conversation yesterday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about the league’s past, present, and future as it moves into its second century. 

“Our best days are ahead of us,” said a bullish Goodell as he talked about the 102-year-old league’s expansion overseas, its fall debut on Amazon streaming, and its pandemic year. The commissioner said he was proud of how the league adapted to Covid-19 and developed protocols that led to an “infinitesimal” positivity rate on tests for the virus among players and coaches. “Everyone came together and did an extraordinary job,” he said. “We were the only league to play every game.” 

Episcopal students were invited to the videoconference conversation by EHS Board Chair Lee Ainslie III '82 P '14 '17. Ainslie, managing partner of Maverick Capital in New York City, arranged the event for his staff and the students. 

Ben Condemi ’21 asked Goodell about plans for expanding international games played in countries beyond Mexico and the United Kingdom. The commissioner said that the league is likely to continue its growth abroad chiefly through broadcasts and media. “I think media is the most effective tool because it gives you the opportunity to reach the largest number of people. It gives you scale.”

Jackson Bauer ’21 asked about a rule change considered by the league in recent years that would encourage teams to avoid onside kicks, which have become predictable because they rarely work. Goodell said the league is continuing to study the possible change, noting, “You should never have a play that basically becomes irrelevant.”  

Nick Carosi ’22, who will be a senior monitor next year, talked about the tension of being a school leader and maintaining friendships, likening it to Goodell’s role as commissioner overseeing the league yet working closely with its 32 owners. Goodell in turn spoke about the importance of navigating such tensions and developing strong relationships based on trust. “It doesn't mean that you agree on everything,” he said, “but it gives you that basis to allow yourself to disagree and to find a better relationship and work the problem.” 

This is not the first time that EHS students got a close view into the thinking of top leaders courtesy of Ainslie. Earlier in the year, he arranged opportunities for students to be part of interviews with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and Home Depot co-founder Kenneth Langone.
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