The Philadelphia Eagles will be the host team for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6 — a day after the 2024 season opener, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday.
Goodell addressed gambling, officiating, diversity, the Rooney Rule and much more — including Taylor Swift’s romance with Travis Kelce — in an nearly one-hour news conference held inside the Las Vegas Raiders’ locker room before players and coaches from the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers met the media for Super Bowl opening night.
Goodell made news when he said the Eagles will play in Sao Paolo against a to-be-named opponent. It’ll be the first time in 54 years the NFL has played a game on Friday night of its opening weekend. The Los Angeles Rams hosted the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, Sept. 18, 1970.
The game will be played at the Corinthians Arena, home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians. The stadium was used in both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. The Eagles’ opponent, along with the kickoff time, will be announced closer to when the 2024 schedule is revealed this spring.
Five regular-season games will be played internationally in 2024.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London will host games featuring the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings. The Jacksonville Jaguars will return to Wembley Stadium as part of their multiyear commitment to playing in Britain.
The Carolina Panthers will play in Munich, Germany at Allianz Arena — home of Bayern Munich.
GAMBLING
Integrity of the game was a hot topic now that the Super Bowl is being held in the nation’s gambling capital, a decade after Goodell was adamant that legalized sports betting could lead to suspicions of games being fixed.
“It’s our number one objective: Gambling and outside of gambling, the integrity of our game is critical,” Goodell said. “And so we spend a lot of time focusing on that: educating, making sure that all of our personnel are aware of our gambling policies in this case or any other policy that can affect the integrity of our game. Ultimately, that’s our primary job.”
Goodell said about 25 league employees had violated the league’s gambling policy, while “roughly 13 players” have faced discipline.
“We take this incredibly seriously,” Goodell said. “We understand the risk. We did not make the decision. Ultimately the decision was a decision by the Supreme Court. They legalized sports betting. We have to adapt. We have to embrace it. We have been cautious. We have been very thoughtful, I think, in our approach.”
ROONEY RULE
The NFL has nine minority head coaches after the latest hiring cycle, the most in league history. Increasing diversity in leadership positions has been a priority for the league, and Goodell said 51% of the league’s employees are either “people of color or women.”
Asked if any consideration has been given to eliminating the Rooney Rule — a thought some minority coaches and others have expressed — Goodell said it’ll remain “for the foreseeable future.” The rule requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach openings.
“Not having it be necessary would be a wonderful world for us,” Goodell said. “I personally believe it’s still necessary.”
GOODELLS ARE SWIFTIES
Goodell, his wife and their 22-year-old twin daughters have been Swifties since attending one of her concerts. He welcomes her interest in the NFL and the attention it brings her fans.
The commissioner brushed aside the conspiracy theory that Swift’s relationship with Kelce is scripted.
“I couldn’t have scripted that one,” Goodell said, calling that talk “nonsense.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article