I take my responsibilities very seriously.
When you're thrust into litigation, you obviously have to make sure you're prepared to deal with that.
Change before you're forced to change.
We're in a leadership position in sports. People look up to the National Football League.
It's an awesome responsibility, not only to maintain the level of success the NFL has, but to build on that.
There are lots of businesses that are well in excess of $9 billion that have gone into bankruptcy, that have been mismanaged. And that has not served anyone very well.
I don't get myself caught up in the rhetoric of any personal comments that are made.
I am awake a lot of nights.
The owners don't win by having a lockout. Shutting down your business is not good for anybody and it's certainly not good for the players, it's certainly not good for the fans. And that's most important to us.
What is true of the NFL is that it has been well-managed over the years. And that has been beneficial to the fans, it's been beneficial to the game itself, it's been beneficial to the players, coaches and everyone involved.
We will always make sure player health and safety is our No. 1 priority in the NFL.
My job is to protect the integrity of the NFL and to make sure the game is as safe as possible.
The way you continue to be a successful business is you don't wait for the car to go off the cliff. You have to manage yourself. And make sure you do it in the right way so you are not making decisions in crisis.
Too much of our society looks for people to fail.
I talk to players all the time.
It is a privilege for me to serve the NFL. It is the only place I have ever wanted to work.
The draft is one of my favorite events because it is about football. People are focused on how their teams improve. It's a celebration of football. And most importantly, it represents a very important time in the lives of these men who are entering the NFL, and their families.
I think the state of the NFL has a very positive outlook.
To me, what I love about the draft is; first, you see the young men who are realizing their dreams that they've worked so hard for. That's a pretty cool thing. You saw the emotion from some of these guys the other day. And then, the second thing is this total sense of hope and optimism. And, I think that's great for everybody.
The one thing I would hope would go on my tombstone is, 'I made my parents proud.'
